Ignorance is Bliss
by State0FMind
Summary: The Volteri encounter a vampire unlike anything they've ever seen.Viktor's Coven is still amidst the War against the Lycans, which has been taking place for centuries. What happens when Viktor meets these twilight vampires?
1. Chapter 1: Volterra

**Dearest Readers: I will be crossing over the Underworld Saga and the Twilight Saga. I will feature perspectives from all characters and I will not be concentrating on any particular story line, I WILL write a lot for both the Twilight characters AND the Underworld characters. I will have multiple romance pairings within this fanfiction, some will be surprising and some will not: Pairings include Edward/Bella, Alice cullen/?.... Selene/ ? .... :-) Read & Enjoy and reviews are so very much appreciated.... **

**Chapter 1: Volterra**

A Vampire stood in the Palazze dei Priori, his sky blue eyes averted to the bright moon in the sky, which illuminated the whole Plaza around him. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the memories of when he had last been there, so many hundreds of years ago. Images of medieval armor came to his mind—there had been a war, but between who was unclear. Men carried swords and crossbows and their shields held a gothic cross upon it. His memories were shattered, torn, and piecing them together had grown difficult in his vast years of immortality. Only one thing was clear to him, this very Plaza, Palazze dei Priori, was the memory farthest back that he could remember. His life before eternal damnation was forgotten.

Any hopes of remembrance lay within these cities walls.

Jane stood atop the tallest tower and extended her head back, allowing the full moon to illuminate her pale skin. She closed her eyes and reminisced on memories of her previous started to fill her but she fought it, there was no point in arousing emotions—she couldn't change her past. She opened her bright crimson eyes and looked up at the moon. It was absolutely beautiful.

Suddenly, she sensed an unusual presence within the Palazze dei Priori. She couldn't put her finger on it but she knew that _something _was in the city. She draped her cape over her shoulders, placed the large hood over her hair and departed from the tower. She moved with grace and swiftness through the cities walkways, careful not to draw any attention to herself from the human guards. Not that it was possible, but she was always extra careful—always for Aro, because he always asked it of her.

"Be careful, my child." He had asked of her earlier. Jane half smiled, it always pleased her to know that Aro cared deeply for her well-being, enough to remind her every time she left the coven.

As she approached the clock tower, she felt the presence growing stronger. She had never known a presence like this one and her curiosity was overwhelming her. She wondered who it was; or more so, what it was.

She needn't gone far for suddenly, she saw a man standing there within the center of the Palazze dei Priori, standing ever so still. But it wasn't a man, she was now sure of it for he had no pulse. It wasn't a werewolf either, she was sure of that, too; werewolves carried pulses, as they are half human.

Before she could take any step closer, the man turned around and looked at her. He had bright sky blue eyes and they were far too perfect to be human. He cocked his head and eyed her up and down and Jane did not like, not one bit. It made her feel defensive and she didn't feel any reason to be. She was, after all, able to put him in his place simply with one thought. Her overconfidence allowed her to stand tall and arch her eyebrows.

"What brings you to Volterra?" Jane asked. She was instructed to always bring visiting vampires straight to Aro. She assumed this was why he was here, but it was odd—he was unlike any vampire she had ever encountered. Then again, what did she know? She had been living with the Volturri in Volterra ever since she had become a Vampire, so her experience with those who lived outside was slim.

"Answers." He said. His voice was harsh. As he stepped towards her, she was able to get a better look at him. He was wearing a long black cloak and had dark silver hair, which complimented his light blue eyes. Jane couldn't take her eyes off of his; she didn't want to seem rude but she had never seen a vampire with blue eyes. She desperately wanted to ask but she wouldn't know what to say, besides she was way out of line to question a guest and she would simply ask Aro later.

"Come with me." She said and guided him towards the coven. Dawn was coming soon and she felt an urgency to get the both of them to the Coven before the sun rose over the horizon.

They walked swiftly through the stone corridors and it didn't take long before they found themselves in the large room, which acted as a reception area. Instead of the usual assistant, Gianna, behind the desk sat Jane's twin brother, Alec.

"You're back early." Alec said, he clearly hadn't glanced at the guest that Jane had brought with her.

"Can you notify Aro of our guest," Jane said, appalled that her brother did not acknowledge the man she stood next to, "it is a matter of urgency."

Alec looked up at the man and Jane could see the surprise in his face. Alec had clearly stared in to the strangers' eyes and seen the unusual color. Jane watched as he quickly went to the back and through the large doors. Though she loved her brother, she couldn't deny that he lacked a level of class that she prided in having, herself.

The man, all the while said nothing. He seemed absolutely calm and when she looked up at him, he smiled—revealing large canines. Jane's brows furrowed in curiosity. She had never met a vampire with such large canines. _What….was he? _

At that moment, Aro appeared. His hands were extended out as he bellowed a welcome through the door. Jane saw Aro bear a happy and curious expression on his face, like he always did at the news of a vampire visiting the coven. It was always enjoyable for Aro to host guests in Volterra and enjoy their company. Jane couldn't blame him; she herself liked visitors too.

Aro's facial expressions suddenly changed as he approached the stranger. Jane had never seen Aro bear a frown and she wasn't sure what this meant, but she was on the defensive now incase Aro needed her to take action. It was, after all, her greatest honor and pride to protect her Coven.

"You must be the leader of the Coven," he said.

"I am," Aro said and he looked at Jane from the corner of his eyes, glaring with a very serious expression. It was unlike Aro to look at her like that and anger was building within her at the stranger, for causing such turmoil with her Coven.

The stranger growled a laugh and took a few steps forward. "I've never known a Coven to be in Volterra. Then again, I haven't returned in….years." At the last word, the man smiled and Aro couldn't help but glance at his large canines.

Half fascinated, Aro couldn't help but ask: "What are you?"

"What am I?" the stranger laughed at the question and the large canines were exposed between the growled laughs.

Jane did not like the stranger. Aro could feel Jane's hostility and gave her a look as in to calm down before she used her powers against the stranger. Jane would have had him writhing in pain for daring to laugh at Aro. She shot a look at her brother who was near the back door, protecting the Coven. Her expression was clear and Alec knew exactly what her twin was asking of her, even without words—she was saying to grab the rest of the Coven, in case anything went down.

"Surely you are jesting," the stranger said. He thought the question seemed absurd but then again, perhaps the intent was to ask which Coven he belonged to. In that case, there was no question to that, he had been part of the original Coven, all the way back from the time where all three of the elders were awake. He smiled and decided to make a joke of it, "My dear boy, I was damned before you had been born into humanity."

Jane had enough of the stranger and concentrated with all her might to bring about the most excruciating pain ever—to her dismay, the stranger did not move. She was absolutely confused and concentrated harder, but alas, no avail. Aro could see her efforts and he glanced back and fourth between the smiling stranger and his dear Jane, whose face was contorted in such effort.

Just then, Macus and Caius walk through the doors followed by Alec. Aro looked at the stranger and saw that he was no longer smiling, but rather his expression turned very serious—as if he was thinking far too hard.

The blue-eyed vampire looked at the oldest looking vampire coming towards them, there was something so familiar about him—but what was it? Then, it struck him, out of nowhere, and all of the memories flooded his mind—as if this vampire had been the key to unlocking his deep subconscious.

He had been the one, the exterminator.

Suddenly, the stranger leaped in to the air and landed gracefully, taking Marcus' neck in to his large arms. He could hear the blonde haired one scream "Jane!" but whatever that should do, nothing came of it. Marcus tried with all his might to shake off the strangers grasp, but he was too strong and his grip too hard. It was clear to Marcus that this vampire was far stronger than he.

"You killed my family," the stranger whispered in to Marcus' ear. All of the Volturi heard what the stranger had said, due to their acute sense of hearing, but his statement had no meaning to them—this stranger was going to die by their hands.

The room became illuminated as the sunlight began pouring in through the large windows above. The sudden light caused his bright blue eyes to glow. Before the Volturi leaped out to the stranger, he threw Marcus high in to the air and he landed in the range of the sunlight.

The Volturi leaped out and grabbed the stranger who stood in complete shock as he watched Marcus' skin glitter from the sunlight.

"What are you?" the stranger asked the sparkling Marcus. "You are not my kind."

"Bring him to me," Marcus addressed Caius and Alec, who held him between their grips.

As they stepped forward, bringing him in to the light of day where Marcus stood—the stranger screamed out in agony as his face began to burn under the sun's rays.


	2. Chapter 2: New Beginnings

**Dearest Readers:**

**I have decided to _alter _Bella's character a bit. It is nothing too extreme, it is just how I perceive her within this fanfiction. I will bring in the Underworld character shortly, your patience is much appreciated.  
**

**I do not own any of the Twilight characters and we all know who does: Stephenie Meyer has all reserved rights over every single Twilight character and plot line that ensues in her novels.  
**

**_It's all about your State0FMind_  
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**Chapter 2: New Beginnings**

"Isabella Swan?"

She looked up at the man who had called her name and raised her hand slightly up to gesture that she was present. Her History teacher looked at her briefly and continued down his list. It was the first day of Junior year and she was stuck attending a new school, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, in a town she had no desire to reside in, which was located in the middle of nowhere. Moving from Phoenix to Forks was not an easy adjustment and Bella was already homesick. _Except Phoenix isn't home anymore, _Bella reminded herself.

Her mom sold her house to travel around the country with her husband, Phil Dwyer, until he was officially signed on to a team. The idea seemed so stupid to her, _why would Renee give up everything for him—sell her house, pawn her things, ship her daughter to the middle of nowhere. _Bella groaned to herself as she rubbed her temples—her mother was head over heels in love and naturally, that made her a complete idiot.

"Hey, you're new aren't you?"

A blonde haired, blue-eyed boy had turned around in his seat to face her and was eyeing her up and down. She smirked—the high school was small, about one sixth the size of the one she attended at Phoenix. Bella had no doubt in her mind that she would be asked this question all day, the prospect made her hate Forks even more. _Fuck this small town._

"No," she replied, glancing up at the teacher who was writing important nothings on the board.

"Oh," the boy looked confused, "it's just that I've never seen you before."

"That's crazy" she replied, writing down in her notebook everything the teacher was writing on the blackboard. Quite frankly, she didn't know why he was talking to her in the middle of a lecture. There was nothing she found ruder—she wasn't in class to socialize, she was there to learn. _He must have ADD, _she concluded and made a mental note to never sit near him again.

"Well, I'm Mike." He said as he gestured towards himself.

Bella smiled politely, all the while wishing he would just turn around and shut the fuck up.

"err…" Mike seemed uncomfortable.

"Mike," the teacher called out and he immediately turned around, "it would behoove you to pay attention in my class."

Bella smiled to herself. _Thank God.  
_As her day progressed, Bella found that she really enjoyed her classes. AP English seemed exciting, her teacher was overly passionate about literature and the assigned booklist for the year was one Bella was actually looking forward to. She enjoyed Pre-Calculus as well and sat in the front row to ensure her concentration. She always liked the feeling of answering math problems right—it was very empowering. Her ceramics class was enjoyable, there's nothing like doing art in the morning.

Bella smiled as she strolled down the hall towards the cafeteria. She picked up a tray and waited in line for food, it looked like today was Spaghetti with meatballs and a side of vegetables. It looked especially delicious since she was starving. As she waited, she pulled out her schedule to see what classes she had after lunch: AP Biology and Philosophy. Bella was glad to have finished all of her P.E. credits in Phoenix because it allowed for her to take an extra leisure class and nothing enthralled her more than the classic works of Ancient Philosophers. She beamed as she grabbed a plate of food from the lunch lady and thanked her generously.

Nothing could ruin her happy mood, not even annoying classmates like Mike. She hoped he wasn't in her remaining two classes but she doubted it, he didn't seem like the type to take AP Biology or Philosophy. Besides, Philosophy was a class meant for seniors but Bella managed to add it to her schedule.

As she walked through the cafeteria, she spotted an empty table and sat down. People began starring but she really didn't care. Some people weren't as mature as her—it was a fact of life. If they wanted to stare at the new kid then fuck 'em, she had better things to do—like eat.

Suddenly, the heads all turned to watch five figures walk in to the cafeteria. Bella, at first, didn't notice until they approached the table she sat at and took seats. They were all remarkably beautiful; models from magazines couldn't compare. Bella didn't understand why the Jocks would want to sit at the same table as her but then she understood—this was _**their**_table.

Bella stayed in her seat. She seriously wasn't going to leave, even if they asked her to. It's just lunch and she really hoped that they weren't that immature.

"You must be new," one of the boys said as he took a seat. Bella looked at him—he was the largest of the three boys and clearly, the most built. He was extremely pale but then again, as Bella looked around, so were the rest of them.

"Yeah," she began, "hi. I'm Bella. Bella Swan."

There was no point in being rude to them—first impressions were always important and since she was in the cafeteria, a place meant for socializing, she saw no reason to be sarcastic.

"Hi, I'm Alice," one of the girls waved in a cute manner. She had short brown hair and honey colored eyes. Alice's charm made Bella smile.

"And I'm Emmett" the largest boy introduced himself. He smiled, clearly making a welcoming and friendly gesture. "This is my girlfriend, Rosalie," Emmett said as he placed his arm around the blonde haired beauty. The girl nodded briefly and then averted her eyes to the two remaining boys who had yet to introduce themselves.

There was a moments pause before Alice ended it: "This is Jasper" she said as she pointed to an odd looking boy with wild dirty-blonde hair. He croaked out a "hi" and gave a smile that looked forced.

_What an unusual boy, _Bella thought to herself.

"And this is Edward," Alice said as she gestured to the boy who sat aside Emmett, but who had been hidden behind Emmett's extremely large body. Bella had to move her head to see him and her jaw almost dropped off her face—he was fucking gorgeous. No doubt, the handsomest man at the table. Shit, he was probably the most handsome man alive. She didn't know what to say—his natural features had drawn her speechless.

"Hi," he murmured, not even looking at her. His eyes were averted down to the table. Alice noticed his odd behavior and quickly livened the mood: "So, tell us, where are you from?"

"Phoenix," Bella said as she began twirling her spaghetti. A bit intimidated by their beauty, she had lost a desire to eat. But her stomach was growling. There was no doubt in her mind that she had to eat lunch, or else she would die during her final classes. As she put a fork-full of spaghetti in her mouth, she noticed she was the only one with food at the table.

"Are you guys hungry?" She asked. It seemed odd to her that they weren't eating. She didn't mind sharing her lunch or loaning money in case any of them were.

"No, we ate already." Emmett said and he gave a smile.

Bella just assumed they had eaten off campus. Back in Phoenix, Seniors and Juniors were granted off campus passes and thus could leave school during lunch to eat at restaurants or fast-food. She assumed Forks had a similar policy.

"So Bella," Alice began, "tell us how you like Forks."

Bella really didn't like Forks at all but she thought it would be rude to say such a thing to people who lived there. She thought it was best not to talk so she quickly thought of a way to turn the conversation around, get them talking, and as a plus, she would be able to finish her meal.

"I don't really know, I haven't been in to town. I think you guys should tell me, what's there to do around here?"

Alice and Emmett and Rosalie wore a devious smile while Jasper still held a forced smile and Edward sat in the corner, motionless. He was one weird boy. Weird, but hot.

"Not much," Alice began. Bella could tell by the tone of voice, which oddly sounded both mysterious and sexy at the same time, that Alice had a lot more to say and she quickly took the opportunity to begin wolfing down her food.

"But in Port Angeles…"

Bella listened to Alice and Emmett and Rosalie as they took turns to describe the features of Port Angeles. Bella was glad she had time to finish her meal, the feeling of being full was relieving after the pangs of hunger she had felt just moments before.

Edward sat up suddenly and the motion made Emmett pause in his explanations.

"I'm….going to class." Edward said. His voice was melodious and hearing it was like music to Bella's ears.

"Five minutes early?" Emmett asked, surprise in his voice.

"Yeah." Edward said as he glanced at Bella and turned to leave. Bella felt a bit self-conscious but shrugged it off a moment later. After all, who cares what some handsome boy thinks?

"I've got to head out early, too," Bella began, "I have to go find Building E for my next class."

"Which class do you have next?" Alice asked. One eyebrow was raised in curiosity.

"AP Biology." Bella said as she reached down and grabbed her bag. When she looked up at Alice, she bore a wide grin.

"I'll walk you," Alice declared, "I know exactly which room that is."

"Perfect," Bella exclaimed. She was so glad to have met such a down to earth chick on the first day. It was really relieving and Bella hoped to become close friends with Alice.  
As they walked out of the cafeteria, Bella placed her lunch tray in the designated spot and called out thank you to the lunch ladies. When she turned to face Alice, she found that she was smiling.

"What?" Bella asked, smiling herself. There was something about Alice, but Bella couldn't pin point exactly what it was.

"Nothing," Alice said, still smiling. "So, what made you decide to take AP Biology?"  
The question aroused Bella's curiosity and she herself didn't even know why she decided to take the class. "I suppose," she began, "it's due to my curiosity in human genetics."

Alice was taken aback. She had never before met someone at Bella's age that was intellectually aroused at the natural order of things in the world. Bella was certainly one of a kind, Alice noted to herself as she continued to guide her towards the E Building.

"So, what class do you have next?" Bella asked. She wasn't sure if Alice had been in any of her classes before lunch, she hadn't been paying attention to who was in her classes but she'll be sure to keep an eye out.

"English 4 and after that Philosophy." Alice said, curtly.

Bella gasped, both from the fact that her new friend was a Senior and more for the fact that she shared one class with her. "Philosophy in Building B Room 3?"

Alice smiled, "that's the one. I guess I'll be seeing you later then." They had come up to a building and Alice gestured towards a classroom whose door was jarred open.

"Hey thanks so much for walking me." Bella gratefully said as she turned to look at Alice. She really was a beautiful girl. Her pale skin complimented her honey eyes and her dark hair, styled short, really emphasized her bubbly personality. It seemed that everything about her was spot on perfect.

"No problem," Alice said through a smile and turned to walk towards her next class.

Bella found herself really looking forward to Philosophy, even more than she already was. She made her way in to the classroom and she found that the majority of the class was already in there. In fact, all the seats were taken except one. As she made her way to the one empty seat and noticed the person who was sitting to the left of the seat. It was the weird boy, Edward, looking out the window.

She approached the lab station and decided to ask anyways: "Is anyone sitting here?"

He didn't turn to look at her and simply said: "No."

She thought this was extremely weird behavior but she shrugged. As she sat down, she saw in the corner of her eyes that he was beginning to shudder and she wasn't sure what to think of that. She loathed the prospect of sitting next to him all class if he was going to act this way but she really had no other choice, all the other seats were taken. Bella was glad to have walked with Alice before class but regretted not making it to class sooner, so she could have landed a better seat. Then again, wasn't this Alice's friend? Bella was very confused.

She pulled off the cover of the microscope and this motion caused Edward to look at her fiercely. _Maybe this is his microscope, _Bella thought. She really couldn't explain his behavior.  
He continued to stare at her, repulse etched all over his face. After a few moments she looked up at him and he averted his eyes. He was a handsome asshole and quite frankly, she didn't need to tolerate it.

"Look, if you didn't want to sit next to me, you could have said so." Bella said. She didn't mind switching places with someone else. His behavior just seemed so ridiculous.

Edward sat there speechless for a moment and then in a sudden motion, he stood up and walked out of the classroom. Bella wasn't sure if she should be insulted or relieved but she didn't have time to glower over such emotions as the Biology teacher walked in, apologizing for his tardiness, and began his lecture.

The Biology lecture went by faster than she imagined and making her way over to Philosophy class, Bella decided she would just ask Alice what's up with her friend Edward and why he acted the way he did towards her in class. But to her dismay, she walked in to Philosophy and Alice was nowhere to be seen. Nor did she show up that day to Philosophy. Bella couldn't help but wonder why.

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	3. Chapter 3: Second Impressions

**Dearest Readers:**

**Patience is very much appreciated and feed back is deeply loved. I have come to realize that due to my side story line on developing Bella/Edward's relationship that  
I will not feature the Underworld characters until a later Chapter (Most likely 5)...Again, your patience is deeply appreciated :) & I cannot wait for you to read what I have in store in this fanfiction.  
**

**From, your author,  
State0FMind**

**Chapter 3—Second Impressions**

It had been several days since Bella's weird encounter with Edward in AP Biology. In those several days, he had not been in class and she was beginning to wonder if he had switched out. Maybe he couldn't handle the stress of AP classes, she thought, after all, it was rigorous.

It had also, to Bella's dismay, been several days since she had seen Alice. She couldn't help but think that perhaps Alice and Edward were a couple and ditching school together. She hoped that they weren't involved with drugs or anything crazy like that. She dismissed the thought—maybe it was just a coincidence.

After the first day, Bella had eaten her lunch outside to enjoy the sun. She had heard that the sun is a rare gift in Forks by her father and that she should enjoy it while she can, before it hibernates for the Fall, Winter, and majority of Spring. This day, she was unlucky for light gray clouds were covering the sun. She hoped that there would be another sunny day before the sun goes away for good; well, at least until next year.

She sprawled out on the grass outside and reached in her lunch, grabbed her sandwich and began eating it while watching the birds fly between the trees and the critters running on the ground. There was no doubt in her mind, the nature aspect of Forks was beyond beautiful and it made her feel serene to be eating before such a setting, without anyone around her. Her isolation was enlightening.

With the exception of Alice, Bella hadn't really warmed up to anyone. They all seemed immature to her and talked about the most trivial of things. She would rather eat alone than be surrounded by the likes of them and there was nothing wrong with eating alone, if she could gain peace and quiet to enjoy both her lunch and the nature around her.

After she finished her lunch, Bella laid her head back in the grass and looked at the sky. She could see dark gray clouds in the horizon moving towards her high school—it looked like it was going to rain soon. The idea made her groan—Forks' weather changes more often than she changes her clothes.

Bella heard the school bell ringing in the distance to signal that the lunch period had ended and for students to begin walking to their fifth period class. She smiled—another exciting Biology lecture and especially without a lab partner, since no one sits next to her aside from Edward on the first day. Bella smiled—today they were to look at Onionskin under the microscope and determine the different stages of cell reproduction. She was particularly good at Mitosis and was excited to do the lab alone, without anyone to slow her down.

As Bella walked in to the classroom, she was completely horrified to see Edward sitting in the seat next to hers. _What was he doing there? _Bella was so excited at the prospect of doing the lab assignment herself that to find a partner, where there shouldn't be one, was deeply upsetting.  
She determined that she simply wasn't going to talk to him. She took her seat and pulled out her binder.

"Hello, Bella."

She couldn't believe her ears—was he trying to be friendly, now? She glanced over at him and his eyes were soft honey, the same shade of color as Alice, and he was devilishly handsome as he smiled—his white teeth glowing from perfection. Bella didn't know what to say, his looks shut her up but aside from that, she didn't know what to say to the guy who had been so rude to her days before.

"I know Alice introduced me the other day but…" he trailed off and Bella hung on every word that came out of his beautiful mouth, "I wasn't very polite upon our meeting. I was sort of having a bad day. So allow me to re-introduce myself, I'm Edward Cullen."

Bella could feel her heart stop—no wonder he was Alice's friend, his maturity was way beyond his age, just like Alice. There was a degree of sophistication to him and Bella was astounded that a few minutes before, she was upset at his return. _How quickly the weather changes in Forks, _she thought to herself.

"It's okay. We all have bad days." Bella replied and as she looked back at him, she was surprised that he was staring so intently at her. It made her a bit uncomfortable; as she wasn't sure what it meant—there could be no way that he was checking her out, she was nowhere even close to his league in looks.

"Well, you missed a few assignments," Bella began just saying whatever came to her head. She couldn't deny it—he made her nervous.

"I completed them in my absence," Edward said as he pulled out all of the labs and worksheets he had missed, which to Bella's astonishment, were all completed. She glanced quickly at them and was able to eye a few of his answers—all of which, again to her astonishment, were right. Even she needed her notes from class to answer the questions—how was he able to do all that work correctly without being in class? Maybe he simply copied a friend's notes—or even more conveniently, copied the answers. The more Bella speculated against Edward, the more she doubted her speculations.

The Biology teacher walked in the classroom and apologized for his tardiness. Bella had gotten used to this teacher being late—apparently, he liked long lunches.

The teacher began the lecture on Mitosis and Bella took detailed notes on what the teacher was writing on the board and what he was saying. It took a few minutes to realize that Edward wasn't taking any notes but was simply sitting there in silence, watching the teacher. Bella was shocked that he wasn't taking notes, how would he be able to remember any of the material? Well, it really wasn't her problem, Bella reminded herself, and she was grateful that Edward was very different from Mike—who utilizes everyday of History in his efforts to try and get to know more about Bella, even when she sits in the far opposite end of the classroom. He still, somehow, finds a way to talk to her.

After the teacher finished his lecture of Mitosis, he encouraged his students to pull out the microscopes and begin the lab. Edward had already begun setting up even before the teacher had finished his instructions. It seemed like Edward knew what he was doing even before the teacher instructed everyone else. This also surprised and shocked Bella, and the combination of the two aroused her curiosity about him even more.

A few moments later, Edward had a wet slide prepared and placed it under the microscope.

"You didn't have to do it all, I should have helped." Bella said. Edward had been so fast setting up that by the time Bella knew what was going on, he had already finished everything that needed to be done.

"I need to make up for all the times you set up by yourself." Edward said, coolly.

Bella couldn't help but smile. _What a gentleman._

"So, where were you?" Bella couldn't help but ask, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Let's just say I spent a few days to….recover," Edward stated as he looked in to the microscope.

"Oh," Bella said as she looked at him. He didn't look sick, only pale. A little too pale, but so were the rest of the kids he hung out with. In fact, as she thought about it, only the five of them were that pale within the whole school. Bella decided not to inquire on why, it would be rude and she wouldn't even know how to word it: _Hi, uhm, Edward. Why are you and all of your friends so pale? _It was completely out of the question.

"Anaphase," Edward said as he slid the microscope to her.

Bella peered in and saw the small black arrow pointing to a cell within the onion skin and it did appear to her to be undergoing the Anaphase chromosome separation. "Yeah, that's Anaphase all right."

They continued to pass the microscope back and fourth and find the different stages of Mitosis within the cells of the Onion slide. Bella was really surprised at his extensive knowledge on the subject—he must have paid really good attention in general biology.  
Bella found herself feeling silly for thinking earlier that she didn't want to sit next to him—why would she deny herself such an amazing lab partner? First impressions, Bella reminded herself, don't always allow for a person to perceive another for who they truly are.

"Do you have plans tomorrow night?"

Bella couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly.

"Me? Tomorrow night? Isn't it a school night?" Bella stumbled the words out.

Edward laughed and hearing it made Bella melt in her seat. "Do you consider Friday Night a school night?"

Bella felt herself blush, she didn't like how he made her feel so miniscule yet she found that she was beginning to like how he—well, how he is. Just everything about him aroused her curiosity and she found that she merely wanted to know more about the mysterious boy.

"No, I forgot that tomorrow is Friday." Bella said. It was the truth.

She saw Edward smile and Bella hated that she was blushing—she hated that he was making her blush—she wasn't used to such attention and especially from such a charming and intelligent boy. She was thinking thoughts about what-if's and she quickly shook it out of her head. She was being irrational.

"Then, can I take you to dinner? I would love to show you Port Angeles."

Bella was frozen in shock. Thousands of thoughts were filling her mind—_what the hell? Why me? I don't date! I don't have anything to wear! I don't know what to do on a date!! What am I going to tell Dad?_

"I can pick you up at 6 o'clock." Edward continued on. It seemed like he hadn't taken a particular notice to Bella's trance.

Bella found her senses and snapped out of it. "Yeah, sure," Bella had no idea what she was saying, she found that she was just mumbling out whatever came to her head, "dinner."

"Fantastic," Edward said and gave a crooked smile.

Bella couldn't help it—she was head over heels in love already and just from a 5 minute conversation in AP Biology.

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Edward walked in to his house. The same house the Cullens had been residing in for years. More years than he'd care to ever admit aloud.

He decided he would finish Alexandre Dumas' _**The Three Musketeers**_, a novel he was rather fond of. As he was about to ascend up the stairs, he heard his name being whispered. It took only Edward a moment to realize that Carlilse was telepathically calling his name. _Edward, I need to speak with you. It is a matter of urgency._

Edward stopped in his tracks and descended down the stairs. As he headed towards the kitchen Alice stepped in his way, stopping him in his tracks.

"You have a date with Bella?"

Edward had a feeling that she had foreseen it and he also knew what she was thinking. He knew what everyone was thinking at all times in any situation, except for this girl and he was bound to figure out why.

"Yeah, sorry to burst your bubble," Edward said as he smiled. "Don't worry, Jasper's crazy for you. You two deserve each other."

"Over my dead body," Alice grinned.

"That's the idea," Edward replied back.

Alice laughed as she looked over her shoulder to Jasper sitting at the dining table who was staring at her and smiling. Jasper, from the moment he began living with the Cullens, had been madly in love with Alice. Everyone in the house knew it and always urged Alice to give him a chance.

Alice followed Edward in to the kitchen as Rosalie and Emmett took a seat at the table, joining Carlilse, Esme, and Jasper. Alice and Edward followed Rosalie's lead.

"So, you didn't need to just talk to me, then?" Edward asked in sarcasm.

Carlilse bore a very serious look and all that Edward could gather from Carlisle's thoughts were about the Volturi.

"Something has happened in Volterra and Aro has requested my presence." Carlisle began, "If any of you would like to join me, we will be there for several days. It appears that there has been an attack by an unknown Coven and we will be finding out who they are and the reasons for the attack."

Edward saw Alice glow at the idea and he smiled, hearing her thoughts: _Fuck yeah I want to go. I need to get away from Jasper, he's driving me crazy._

Edward caught Alice's eyes and made a gesture to her to let her know that he had been listening. Alice simply gave a smirk.

"I'm in." Alice said aloud and Carlisle smiled and nodded in approval.

"I'd like to go, too." Jasper said, all the while looking at Alice and smiling.

"That wouldn't be such a good idea," Carlilse began, "with your dietary restrictions and the Volturi's ….lack of, it would not be good to be constantly surrounded with such fresh choices over there. I'm sorry Jasper, but in all fairness to you, I will only allow Alice to accompany me. The rest of you will stay with Esme."

Everyone nodded in agreement, they weren't about to contradict Carlisle and it seemed like no one minded staying behind. Edward, especially, didn't mind—after all, he had to figure out what was wrong with his telepathic link with Bella. It worked for everyone else but the minute he tried to read her mind, for some reason, he couldn't. He didn't want to postpone the date—he needed to solve this mystery.

"Alice and I will leave tomorrow morning," Carlisle's statement concluded the family meeting.

Edward stood up and made his way to his room—he needed to think, think about the why's and what-if's and lull over the plans for tomorrow.

Tomorrow was going to be a very long day.


	4. Chapter 4: The Unforeseen

**Chapter 4: The Unforeseen **

Alice walked aside Carlisle down the old gothic corridors that made up the underground of the Palazze dei Priori. It has been so many years since she had been here and it was a bit relieving to finally leave Forks and come to contact with _other _vampires. Sure, the Denali Coven was always fun to visit but there was something about being in Volterra—something that stirred deep within her, a feeling of serenity, as if she were returning home. Forks didn't feel like home anymore ever since Jasper came. But he was to be part of the family now and Alice supposed she would just have to get used to him.  
The thought made her groan but she didn't have time to think about it any longer for the both of them entered the large chamber that constituted the reception desk and a young female human sitting behind it.

"How can I help you?" She asked. It seemed oddly bizarre to Alice that the Volturi would insist on having a human receptionist. But then again, to the Volturi, it would seem too trivial a task for a Vampire.

"Your arrival could not have been at a better time," Aro bellowed as he walked through the large archway doors that led to the Volturi Chamber. His bright red eyes signified to Alice that the Volturi had just finished feeding—it would help explain the jolly look upon Aro's face.

"Thank you, my friend, I understand we have a matter of urgency to discuss." Carlisle said as he approached Aro and gave him a large embrace.

"Yes, yes, all in due time, my brother," Aro began and turned to face Alice, "And you have brought dear Alice. Thank you, Carlisle, for blessing us with such a delightful presence. You were always my favorite." Aro said as he winked to her.

Alice smiled back and nodded curtly, "I am honored to be here."

Aro smiled and his red eyes shined. It was clear to Alice that her presence excited him.

"Come, let us gather with the rest of the Coven. We have much to discuss."

Aro led them through the large archways and Alice could see the rest of the Volturi inside. She could feel Caius' eyes fall upon her—he wasn't one to welcome guests. Alice didn't look at him, instead she looked around the room and absorbed the faces she saw. She saw Marcus sitting in a throne and saw the famous twins standing aside him. The boy, Alec, was exceptionally tall with brown hair and his sister, Jane, was drastically shorter and bore dark blonde hair that complimented her deep crimson eyes, which stood out due to her exotic choice in make up. Alice saw that she was wearing a dark long cloak with the Volturi emblem falling down her developed chest. Despite looking like she was a young teenager, Jane seemed to have developed exceptionally large breasts—Alice glanced up and saw that Jane was staring directly at her, her face stone cold but her eyes stared fiercely in to Alice, penetrating her deep within.  
Alice averted her eyes quickly—she was absolutely blown away by the power Jane's glare had over her. She realized she had forgotten to breathe and took a large gulp of air. The lack of oxygen had made her feel very dizzy.

As she stumbled forward, she saw that Carlisle was looking right at her. "Are you all right?" Carlisle asked with concern and reached out to her—Alice looked as if she was about to collapse.

"The long journey must have worn her down," Aro pitched in, "it would be best if she fed, the nourishment would do her well."

Alice was beginning to feel extremely dizzy, the chamber was spinning and she couldn't make out where was up and where was down.

"You know that we don't feed in the same manner as you." Carlisle added. He knew Aro would easily find a human for her but Carlisle insisted that the Cullens stick with their morals—never take a human life for nourishment purposes.

"Then I will have Jane assist Alice in whatever she so pleases to feed upon," Aro said as he motioned towards Jane and she stepped forward. "See to it that our guest is both comfortable and well nourished."

Jane nodded and bowed in respects to both Aro and Carlisle before she confronted Alice and wrapped her arms around Alice's slender waist and she guided her out of the archway doors.

Despite feeling a bit dizzy and despite Jane's cold and hard reputation, Alice couldn't help but feel comforted at feeling Jane take care of her. Though she seems like a stone hard person, her touch was rather soft and delicate. Alice guessed it was from her small body size but there was something a bit more to it. Alice realized that her head was beginning to clear up—perhaps it was the excitement of the Volturi that caught her off guard, but that's never happened before.

Jane led Alice into a bedroom that held a large king's bed with fancy curtains and draperies on the side. There was a large window next to the bed and Alice could see that it overlooked some sort of garden but she couldn't make out too many details. However, she could see the moon shining brightly through—it was gloriously full. Jane guided her to the bed and to Alice's dismay, let go of her grasp around her waist.

"Lie down," Jane commanded. It was the first time Alice had heard her voice that night and though it was harsh, it was so pleasing to hear.

As Alice lied down, she felt her head begin to clear and her mind focused on the contents of the room, trying to distract herself from glaring in to Jane's beautiful face.

"Is there anything you prefer?"  
At first, Alice imagination soared at the various meanings behind that question. It took her several moments before she accepted that Jane was referring to the animal that Jane was to hunt for her behalf.

"I'm not hungry," Alice said and she couldn't help but glance up in to Jane's eyes. They were, to Alice's surprise, soft—or much softer than what they appeared to be in the Volturi chamber. Alice felt so drawn in to the deep crimson that sparkled from the moonlight pouring in through the window. Her skin looked so soft and her hair shined healthily—Alice couldn't help but pause in hesitation. Jane's presence aroused Alice's deep desires that she kept locked away at all times. It was a mistake for Aro to have sent Jane but it also made Alice feel alive—for the first time in years, she felt feelings deep within her—it was reviving.

Jane took a step forward and arched her brow, "You are not hungry now but you will be soon enough." Jane glared at her and began to turn away until Alice reached out and grabbed her wrist. Her skin felt as soft as it looked and Alice was beginning to lose control.

"Look…I just," Alice stumbled out the words and she couldn't really grasp what she was trying to say. She was overwhelmed with so many emotions—she wasn't used to feeling what she was feeling, it had been too long. Far too long. "I just…."

"You are weary from your travels, rest here as I go retrieve your…selections." Jane said with firmness, though her voice was not nearly as harsh as Alice had expected.

Alice nodded in defeat. She desperately wanted Jane to stay but didn't want to seem pushy. Besides, the isolation would allow her time to meditate and contemplate. Alice watched in disappointment as Jane walked gracefully out of the room.

Alice heaved a great sigh, sat up straight within her bed, closed her eyes and drifted in to the thoughts of the beyond….

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One hour later, Alice opened her eyes. She had been in a very deep meditation and felt extremely revived from it. Jane hadn't come back and Alice was curious as to why—after all, it shouldn't take _that _long to retrieve an animal. She decided to try the Volturi chamber and as she opened the bedroom doors, she felt pressure from the door and a yelp of some sorts…

She peered around the corner of the door and saw a lamb upon a leash, which was tied upon the door. Around the lamb's neck was a collar and attached through it held a single Red Rose. Alice smiled and blushed as she looked around for any traces of the deliverer, but she was no where in sight. The halls were empty, no doubt because the inhabitants were all within the Chamber. Alice sighed and felt a feeling deep within her chest, a sense of longing and gratitude all wrapped up in a single moment.

Alice retrieved the rose from the collar and held it carefully within her hands. It was absolutely beautiful. She looked at the lamb as it sat motionlessly still, as if it knew its fate. Alice gently picked the creature up and brought it in to the bedroom. Apparently, Jane was right: Alice would be hungry upon her return. And so she fed.

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Alice walked in to the great chambers and found Carlisle sitting aside Aro, deep in conversation. Alice could hear glimpses of what they were saying—something about a bizarre type of Vampires. On normal circumstances, she would have been very interested on what was being discussed but she found her mind was focused on one thing: finding Jane.

She looked around the room and found every single member of the Volturi except for Jane. This realization was bitterly disappointing to her and she didn't have much time to dwell as both Aro and Carlisle noticed her presence.

"Are you feeling better, my child?" Aro bellowed out, gesturing her to come towards them.

"Yes, thank you. You were right, I was in need of nourishment." Alice hoped her careful choice of words would prompt for him to explain Jane's absence.

Aro just smiled. _Damn_, thought Alice. She walked slowly towards Carlisle while looking around once more to see if Jane were in sight. She wasn't.

"While you were away, Aro has informed me of the situation. There seems to have been a strange Vampire with unusual anomalies. His attack last week was most unusual and the reasoning behind it are still unclear. His strength was unusually strong, even for a Vampire and his eyes are unlike anything we've heard of before. It appears they were bright blue, which is bizarre since there are only 2 shades known to us depending on the diet….Honey brown for non-human blood and crimson shade for human drinkers…I am not sure what the sky blue entails since our eyes reflect our personal choice in diet."

Alice was very interested in this and it was now clear to her why Aro summoned Carlisle, not merely because the Cullens are the greatest allies to the Volturi, but because of Carlisle's extensive medical knowledge on both Vampires and humans.

"What could the blue entail? Does it reflect dietary choices in any way?" Alice was becoming very curious about the stranger, it was nice to have something to occupy her mind other than thoughts of Jane and the Rose.

"We are not sure," Carlisle said and Aro nodded in agreement.

"We did not see him feed; he was not here for long." Aro added.

"It could be another genetic anomaly," Carlisle began, "but I would have to run tests on him to clarify."

"Which brings us to the point," Aro began. "We need to find him."

Alice grinned at the prospect of hunting aside Jane and nodded to Aro.

"You are all to hunt for him and whence you find him, return him here," Aro bellowed to all of the vampires within the chamber. "It is of great importance to understand what he is and what Coven he comes from…."

The Vampires of Volturi all cried out in excitement of the thrill of the hunt and departed out of the chamber doors.


	5. Chapter 5: The Unknown

**Dearest Readers~**

I will now introduce the Underworld characters :) I applaud you all for your patience as I have developed this story line to get to where it is now.  
Much Much Much More to Come! More Edward/Bella, more Volturi & Certainly more Underworld :) :)  
Read & Reviews are much much much appreciated!

-State0FMind

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Chapter 5: The Unknown

The several hours that make up the moments between sunset and sunrise had been used unanimously by the Volturi in the pursuit of any trace or scent left behind by the mysterious vampire. There efforts were to no avail as there was no hint in which direction he escaped to. It was within the moments of the rising sun that they all congregated within the great chamber to discuss their findings, or lack of.

Alice bore great disappointment as she entered the great chamber—the hours she had been hunting aside Carlisle were pointless and she was beginning to question whether such a vampire HAD been in Volturi. Alice slightly laughed to herself, they all were chasing a ghost—that point in itself should make them all crazy. Or maybe it was that she, herself, was going crazy. It had been an eternity of hours since her last encounter with Jane and all the while she could not think any thoughts except those about her. She hadn't seen her since the room since Jane hadn't been in the chamber after Alice fed and she certainly didn't see her while in pursuit of the ghost. Then again, Alice wasn't really too surprised at that fact since the Volturi all split up in pairs to search the city, where Alice had been paired, naturally, with Carlisle, perhaps Jane with Alec.

"It boggles my mind," Carlisle whispered to her as they walked amongst the Volturi within the chamber. "A Vampire should leave a trace of some sort and our mystery vampire has left none."

Alice looked up at Carlisle, whose face was filled with concern and brows furrowed in deep thought. Carlisle believed in fixing the problem before it becomes out of control and unfixable. But if there was no hope of fixing the problem….

Alice continued to ponder the situation as she looked around the room and then her eyes fell upon the twins—both of which were talking feverously with each other. Alice couldn't see Jane's face from the angle that she was at but she could see Alec's face clearly and saw an angered expression. Alice couldn't hear their conversation—there was too much going on within the chamber for her acute hearing to hear. She decided to take action and began to ascend towards them as carefully as possible so as not to draw attention to herself. Just as she took her second step, Jane swiftly turned around and glared at Alice with such a look of anger that Alice froze within her step, the crimson eyes bled fire so deep that Alice felt her insides freeze to ice.

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Selene walked in the large doors to the mansion. It was the same scenery time after time—the large living space held Victorian era furniture with gothic themed paintings all across the dark walls and the company within were the same mindless female figures who made up over half the Coven. They sat there with their glasses of blood, believing themselves to be sophisticated as they wore sultry outfits yet they were no better than their look suggested—they were Vampire whores and nothing more. Selene didn't make eye contact as she walked past them, they were nothing to her.

She was a death dealer and they were merely scavengers. Not that they had to work hard to attain the Coven's food, their seductive outfits were too suggestive for any person to ignore and so luring in humans was an easy task.

Her task, on the other hand, was an endless one.

The War continued, just as it had for centuries over centuries. The only change was the weaponry, which upgraded with the advancement of technology. What should have been a change to the War's outcome—the death of the Lycan Leader, Lucian—did not do anything to the Lycans' spirits and so the war raged on—Vampires against Lycans.

She had just faced two, who were hunting within the city. The kill was quick and effortless. The Silver Nitrate bullets pierced their skin and within moments, they lied dead and lifeless before her. The thought of two more dead brought a large smile across Selene's face.

"Where's Rigel?"

Kraven's question seemed almost stupid to Selene. She was there a week ago when Rigel informed Kraven that he would be going to Hungary to meet up with Amelie, the Vampire Elder and momentarily, the sole leader of the Ancient Coven.

Selene turned and flashed her fangs at him with a smile. "With Amelia."

Kraven moved in front of her to stop her from advancing forward. "No, he's not. I just spoke with her and she was completely unaware of Rigel's voyage to Hungary."

"What are you talking about?" Selene was confused, "I thought Amelia requested his presence."

"That's the thing," Kraven said through gritted teeth, "she didn't."

Selene looked up in to Kraven's blue eyes. He was devilishly handsome, especially when Selene knew that he was going to have to deal with Amelia when she returned. His inability to properly watch over the Coven was no surprise to Selene. No Vampire was to leave the Coven for extended days without the Elders approval and since Amelia had put Kraven in charge while she was away attending matters of great importance, it meant that Rigel's extended leave of absence would be Kraven's downfall.

Selene smiled and laughed slowly, "you're going to have a lot to explain to her when she returns."

Selene could here Kraven's breathing thicken, he was getting angry and Selene was enjoying every moment of it. His inadequacy was his own fault.

Suddenly, screams were heard from the front hall and both Selene and Kraven ran to find out the cause of it. Selene pushed herself past the vampire whores and saw a figure with a disfigured face collapsed on the floor.

"Kraven…"

Selene recognized his voice immediately and felt her knees begin to give in—_Oh my god, it's Rigel._

His face and the greater half of his body were completely disfigured and Selene knew the one thing that could cause such damage—Sunlight. 

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"Alice."

She could hear her name being called but she couldn't respond. She was in some sort of trance, it was as if the world had stopped and her mind was racing with thoughts and visions of what had been, what is, and what could be. It was all unclear, there were too many scattered thoughts and visions; it was all a blur.

"Alice, are you alright?"

Carlisle grabbed Alice's arm and Alice snapped out of it, turned to look at him and saw a very worried expression on his face. She sat dumbfounded and found she didn't know what to say. She quickly looked back towards where Jane had stood moments earlier and found that both her and her twin had disappeared from that location. She was losing her mind, she thought, and regained her thoughts to compose herself.

"Yes," Alice said with conviction, "just visions. Sorry."

"Don't be," Carlisle said and then leaned in to whisper, "anything regarding the unusual vampire?"

Unusual Vampire? He's the last thing that appeared to be on her mind—her visions included memories of the past, memories of Jane and something that was to come. But what was wrong with her—why was her futuristic vision cloudy but all that had passed long ago was clearer than crystal? It was all so strange and Alice knew that she, herself, was an unusual vampire.

"No," Alice quickly said.

Carlisle didn't have any time to inquire about her visions for Aro walked through the doorway followed by Marcus and Caius. All of the Volturi had been waiting for their grace and Alice could now see where the twins had disappeared to—the corner of the room so that when Aro passed, they were the first at his side.

The room became quiet; no one spoke as the three Volturi leaders took their seats on their personal thrones while Jane and Alec stood on both sides of Aro. Alice watched as Jane peered around the room—her eyes glowed with such fiery hate that Alice couldn't even watch her gaze at others. She averted her topaz eyes to the floor.

"Your efforts" Aro began as he looked around the room at the Volturi, "were fruitless."

Alice had never heard him speak so angrily, it frightened her to her core. She saw Demitri step up towards Aro and a bad feeling overwhelmed her.

"If there is such a vampire, if such a Coven appears a threat then we need not seek them out. They will come to us."

Demitri's brave words spoke on behalf of every Vampire who stood within the chamber. If they could not find him and if he were a real threat, it seemed only logical to Alice that they should simply wait for them to attack.

Alice saw a short gesture from Aro, a swift wave of his hand, and what ensued absolutely horrified her.

Jane took a step forward and held a concentrated face as Demitri began to squeal in deep agony and pain. Alice was in complete shock as she understood what was going on—Jane was torturing Demitri on Aro's behalf for saying what was already on everyone's minds. The moments that made up the terrible act seemed like eternity and tears began to stream down her face as there was no indication of when this was going to end—no one was doing anything to stop it.

Carlisle looked down at Alice, sorrow deep in his face and she looked up at him with a tear streamed face and simply whispered: "please."

"ENOUGH, ARO." Carlisle bellowed and began walking towards him.

From the loudness and conviction of his voice, Jane looked up at Carlisle and the pain for Demitri creased. Alice stood horrified and she felt her knees buckle bellow her.

"Let this be a lesson to you, boy," Aro said harshly to Demitri, clearly obliging to Carlisles' wishes, "to hold your tongue."

Alice couldn't take any of it anymore. It was all too much. With immeasurable speed, she ran out of the Volturi chamber and ran towards the unknown. She didn't stop running, she just wanted to get away, run away from this bad dream—this couldn't be real. That couldn't be Jane. As she couldn't stop running, so the tears couldn't stop streaming.

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"What happened to you?" Selene stuttered out—she was in complete shock at the state that Rigel was in.

"Never mind what happened to you," Kraven began in a bitter rage, "but what's going to happen to you when Amelia returns."

Rigel writhed on the floor in apparent agony. The burns to his skin were too deep and he was going to die if they didn't regenerate his skin tissues soon.

"Kraven," Selene yelled and took a step forward, "what is the matter with you. He needs medical attention now….KAHN."

Selene bellowed out Kahn's name, who was not only the weapons specialist but a sort of medical doctor as well. Though Selene held only a little knowledge regarding vampire health—it was clear that the burns administered from the sun was at the sun's weakest ultraviolet states, as in either sunrise or sunset. This was always good news and such burns happened when a vampire does not reach shelter by the time sun rises. Selene knew that repairing his skin tissue would take some time and healing but that it could be done.

"He blatantly disobeyed Coven laws," Kraven raged but Selene ignored him as Kahn approached the body.

"Yes, so let Amelia deal with him." Selene said as she helped Kahn pick up Rigel and carry him towards the medical facility of the mansion.

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	6. Chapter 6: The Date

**I dedicate this Chapter to "My fave"**

I wouldn't have written this chapter without your persistence.

-M

Dearest Readers~

I hope you enjoy reading this chapter more than I enjoyed writing it.

-State0FMind

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Chapter 6: The Date

Bella had changed several times before she settled on an outfit. Dating was not her forte and in fact, she would go so far as to say that this was her first date—all the others back home in Phoenix didn't really count since they were always double dates and she never really pursued anything with the boys afterwards. It's because she didn't care to pursue the boys—none of them interested her like Edward. But there was something intellectual about him and she was curious to learn more over dinner.

Thoughts of dinner made her feel queasy. She was nervous and it was all due to his intellectual capacity. She desperately prayed she wouldn't embarrass herself by saying something silly over dining. Before she had any time to dwell on such pessimistic thoughts, she heard her father call her name from downstairs.

"Bella….someone's at the door for you."

Bella smirked—it was just like her father to ignore the fact that she was about to go on a date. She breathed in air, braced herself, and made her way down the stairs. She didn't glare up at the person at the door but instead, approached Charlie and gave him a big hug.

"Alright you have fun now, okay?" Charlie said as he patted her on the back.

"Thanks dad," Bella said with as much steadiness as she could possibly summon up.

She turned and faced Edward and what she saw simply blew her away. He wore an elegant night shirt with sophisticated black pants and his hair, she could see, was gelled to perfection. His eyes, dear god his eyes, glowed honey brown and stood out even more from the choice in colors of his outfit. He was absolutely handsome and despite all of her efforts to look her absolute best—she looked plain Jane after the sight of him.

"You look wonderful, Bella," he said with his smooth voice. She couldn't believe such words had come out of his beautiful mouth and seriously doubted she had heard anything at all until she heard Charlie cough uncomfortably and she knew it was because he had heard his comment, too. Okay, so she wasn't crazy but it didn't explain him—he was crazy to think she looked anything other than ordinary.

"Thanks" she mumbled and took a wobbled step forward. He gestured towards his car and Bella gasped as she saw a brand new BMW parked within the driveway. She took a step outside the door and heard her dad call out "don't be home late, now you hear?"  
She turned and gave a swift nod of "okay" to Charlie and walked aside Edward to the car. This all couldn't be real. She couldn't be going on a date the first Friday in Forks with the hottest boy in school. This was all a long dream and she would wake up still in Phoenix, any moment now…

Edward followed her to the passenger side car and opened it for her, the mark of a true gentleman. Bella muttered a "thanks" and sat in the car as he shut it for her. She watched as he swiftly came around and sat within the driver's seat, started the engine and reversed.

The music that played through the stereos surprised her. It was a classical tune of some sorts, a piano piece. She didn't recognize it and felt that asking would seem silly. He just seemed far too sophisticated; there was a demeanor about him that intimidated her. She sat in silence until he broke it.

"What's your favorite cuisine?"

The question seemed simple yet it was so hard for her to answer. She was trying to base it according to what she thought _he _might like.

"Well, I like pretty much everything." The answer was simple enough and it was the truth, more or less.

Edward smiled and laughed, "Alright then. Italian sound appealing?"

"Sure," Bella said looking at him through the corner of her eye. His eyes were strictly concentrated on the road and she was able to see he bore a smirk across his face. She was wondering what he was thinking and what was with the smirk.

The rest of the ride was in silence, except for the soft piano orchestral arrangement playing in the background. They reached the restaurant in due time and were seated in the table all so fast that Bella felt like she was mentally running to catch up to their current physical position. She was still mentally in her room, contemplating why she even accepted the offer to the date. As she sat in the table across from Edward, she had to remind herself that the reason for yes was because he was irresistibly hot. But, she also had to remind herself that he was way too hot for her and that she was somehow going to get hurt in the end, somehow.

"The white wine Alfredo is exceptionally good here," Edward said as he pointed to the selection on the menu. "And so is the pizza, its very ethnical."

"Nice," Bella said and smiled up at him. Both of the selections sounded wonderful and an idea struck her—"Do you want to split a pizza? Maybe we could order a large, if you want."

Edward's facial expressions suddenly changed and it made Bella a bit self-conscious. Maybe he wasn't the type to split food and she suddenly felt embarrassed.

"I'm…" Edward paused momentarily and took a large breathe, "I'm not going to be eating tonight. I …have a ….strict diet I started on…..for my Colon." Edward had to make several pauses between the words to compose himself as he lied to her.

Bella sat there in shock. He wasn't going to eat? This was so much worst than she thought—he came to watch her eat alone? It was almost torture—to place a boy with such beautiful and perfect complexions in front of her, order delicious food and for her to have to eat it alone. She was confused now and she was beginning to think that he was playing games with her—that this was some sort of joke. That this date was a set up so that she could be the laughing stock of Forks. Bella didn't really know what to say—she just wanted to go home. She was becoming upset, stuck in a strange restaurant with a strange boy in a strange town.

"I'm sorry," Edward began, he could tell from her facial expressions that this last news bothered her. Naturally, it should. After all, who invites someone on a date to dinner and doesn't eat? "It's just that I invited you before I went to the doctors and from what he said, my colon needs immediate cleaning…or else, it could be detrimental to my health. I didn't want to blow you off, please. I was looking forward to this date and I didn't want a simple thing like fasting get in the way." The Colon lie had been one that Edward had thought of over the night when he realized he would have to explain why he wouldn't be eating food with her. It was sort of his fault for asking her to dinner, but he wanted to make sure she ate and the perk of watching her eat both fascinated and armored him.

"Then why didn't we do something else?" Bella began, "You should have told me in Biology. We could have, I dunno, gone to the movies or done something else."

Bella looked at Edward and saw that his expression was one filled with true sorrow and she didn't want to make him feel bad—it's just that she didn't want to come off as a selfish person. She would have gladly done anything else with him and she felt even guilty for being in the restaurant knowing that he was fasting for his health.

"I really wanted to be the first to take you to this restaurant, it's my favorite." Edward lied and slanted a smile her way. "Please, order the Pizza for yourself. I'll be great company while you eat."

Bella looked at him and just couldn't resist his offer for his sake, because he was incredibly handsome and seemed sincere enough. "Alright, then..." From the expression on his face, she could see that her submission to his request had made him happy. _Well, at least he was happy_…

The waitress came around and Bella allowed for Edward to order what he thought she should eat. He ended up ordering her an Italian specialty pizza. She watched him with a daze as he spoke to the waitress about the various toppings—none of that mattered to her, of course, but it was fascinating to watch him interact with others. There was a demeanor about him that she was trying to pinpoint, trying to understand. He wasn't like any boy she had ever met and she was trying to understand _what _it was that made him unique. What made him tick.

When the waitress had gone, he turned to face her and leaned in, "How was your day?"

Stressful, all thanks to the date. "Good," she lied.  
"Can I ask you something," Edward asked.

"Of course, anything." Bella answered and was curious to see what he would ask.

"Do you have any special….talents?"

She wondered if this was a set up to a pick up line. She couldn't think of any better response, "No. Not really…why do you ask?"

Edward sat back in his chair and touched his chin, all the while eyeing her. If Bella didn't know any better, she would have guessed from his facial expression that he was trying to read her mind. She laughed to herself.

"What's funny?" Edward asked. It seemed as if her laughter brought him out of the trance.

"You," Bella said as the waitress placed the pizza on the table. The waitress, as a complimentary service, removed a slice from the whole, placed it on a plate and served it to Bella. She thanked her and then looked back at Edward.

"Why do you think that?" Edward asked. He was eyeing her again, the only difference this time was that she had a beautiful, deliciously appetizing pizza sitting in front of her and the aura of the culinary artwork was overwhelmingly strong. She stalled from talking a bite of the pizza to answer him:

"Well, just that you brought me to a restaurant when you knew you couldn't eat." That was one thing that made Bella laugh, but she didn't want to possibly hurt his feeling by saying that his facial expressions across the dinner table also mad her laugh.

"Ah," Edward said and smiled. He watched her as she so eloquently cut the pizza in to slices and one by one, placed the slices in her mouth. By her actions, he could tell that she wasn't used to eating pizza with a fork and knife—as all good Americans use their hands. But it pleased him to see her act so eloquently before him. She was, to his pleasure, a Lady.

Bella continued to eat and Edward began to tell her about the various activities to do in Forks and Port Angeles. The conversation was short, since there is very little to do in both locations, but it was enough time to allow Bella to finish all that she could eat. Besides, she enjoyed listening to Edward. His voice was very soothing and she felt like she could listen to him talk about anything for hours.

The waitress had come by to box her pizza for her and thanked them both generously. This gesture confused Bella.

"Whenever you would like to leave, we're all set to go." Edward said and placed the boxed pizza in to a to-go bag for her.

"Wait, what? I have to pay for my pizza." Bella said and she was hoping that he hadn't seriously just gotten away with paying her tab.

"It's all taken care of, Bella." Edward said.

Bella was appalled. He had just paid for her bill and he didn't even eat any food! This was too much for her. She was embarrassed and wasn't used to being catered to like this. Bella was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude and felt confused on how she could repay Edward.

"Thank you," Bella began, "but you really didn't have to do that. I should have paid."

"My treat," Edward said and stood, gesturing that they should begin walking to the car.

Bella felt herself blush as she walked aside him to the car. He was carrying her to-go bag as well. He was too much of a gentleman and quite frankly, she wasn't as prompt and eloquent as he was. She was having serious doubts in her head about the whole date.

He even held the door open for her as she got in the car. He was too much and he really didn't need to do all that. Bella was a feminist and all of these gestures made her feel like she was undermining her own beliefs by allowing him to do all of this for her. She firmly believed that women should be independent from men. All of these gestures were nice and everything, but she wasn't feeling independent when he was doing everything for her.

He started the car and began driving. Edward had changed the radio station to a local rock channel. It was a nice change and Bella sat quietly with Edward, enjoying the tunes.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Edward asked, staring out in to the road in concentration.

"Yes, thank you again for everything." Bella said. She meant it with all sincerity.

"You're welcome…" Edward began. It seemed like he was trying to ask something but it wasn't coming out. Bella was about to shrug it off until he said: "Is there anything special about you, Bella?"

The question seemed a bit out there and it reminded her of the question he had asked over dinner, namely if she possessed any special talents. She really didn't know why he was persisting her to be of a unique quality, she really wasn't one of a kind. She began to laugh quietly and decided to answer: "Well, I guess I don't relate to people my age, if that's what you mean. I generally like to keep to myself and I like to read a lot."

Edward smiled down at her. Her answer must have satisfied him.

"I like to read, too." Edward admitted, "I'm reading Dumas' Three Musketeers."  
The conversation swayed away from any sign of uniqueness but his odd questions still lingered in the back of her mind. As they discussed the fascinating plot of the adventures of the great musketeers, she silently contemplated why it was that he thought she possessed something special.

The drive home had been faster than Bella expected and before she knew it, they were parked in front of her house. Edward seemed to have been able to park the car, get out and walk over to her side before she had her seatbelt off. This whole gentlemen thing was getting a bit too much but since he insisted to open the door for her, she obliged.

Stepping out of the car, she had lost her balance and slipped and fell forward toward Edward. Her hand had brushed momentarily across Edward's hands and she recoiled as if in great pain—his hands were colder than ice. She gasped in great shock.

"You're hands…" Bella began and looked up at him—his brow was creased in great concern and it almost look like he was upset.

"I…I'm very cold," Edward lied. "It's the effects of the medicine…"

Bella nodded slowly, "Well, you should turn on your heater in the car and warm up, alright?"

Edward nodded and Bella began to take a few steps before she turned around, "Thanks for everything. I'll see you at school."

Edward nodded; his face still held a concerned expression and she really couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. She watched as he got in the car and drove off. He seemed upset but she was just hoping that he was okay—she just hoped his medication wasn't impairing his ability to drive home.

Bella watched until the car was out of sight and then made her way in to the house. Her dad was on the couch watching some sports event and she called out to him to signal that she had come home.

"Bells," Charlie called out and she walked in to the living room.

"Did you have fun?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did." Bella admitted. For being stuck in Forks, this was the best night she has had, yet.

"I'm glad. Oh and Jacob called, you remember him?"

"Jacob?" the named seemed familiar to Bella but she couldn't put a face to the name.

"You two used to play together when you were little. Jacob Black."  
Suddenly, the memories filled her head. "Yes, I remember him. He called?"

"Yeah, I told him you'd call him back in the morning. It's too late to call now." Charlie said and then looked back at the tv—his sports event seemed to have taken an exciting turn.

"Alright. I'm going to go to bed, goodnight dad." Bella said and made her way to her room. She could hear her dad say goodnight as she walked up the stairs. She quickly changed and lied down in the bed staring up at the ceiling. Her last thoughts before sleep were thoughts of Edward's curious questions and his icy-cold hands.


	7. Chapter 7: Enlightenment “Om Hari Om”

**Dearest Readers~**

Patience is appreciated and comments/reviews/criticisms are welcomed with open arms.

-State0FMind

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Chapter 7 **Enlightenment "Om Hari Om"**

Alice stood on a tower in the farthest corner of the city. She knew she couldn't leave, they would just find her. She, unlike the mysterious vampire, left behind a scent so tracking her down would take moments. Besides, she couldn't leave Carlisle. She was stuck with Volturi with no way out.

Confused and angry, she sat and stared at the city. She could see a few humans walking around—walking home from the pub. The pub was open all night and certainly received business in the wee hours of the night. She watched as a man stumbled through the streets—clearly intoxicated. She sat there watching and wishing that she was him, at least he could get drunk and for a few hours escape the problems of the world. She couldn't do that, she couldn't drink alcohol or do drugs. She couldn't even ever escape this world, she was the eternally damned and stuck in this immortal existence forever.

Suddenly, Alice felt a presence watching her and turned around. Under normal circumstances she would have been excited to see the person before her but not now, not after what she just saw.

"You're upset. Why?"

Alice really wasn't in the mood to talk to Jane, firstly, and secondly, the fact that she was asking why Alice was upset was completely unbelievable. Did Jane really think that her actions in the chamber _were okay_? What was _wrong_ with her? Alice turned away from her, fuming. She focused, instead, on the people down below her. She just wanted to be left alone.

Alice felt a hand on her shoulder and shrugged it off. She didn't bother to turn around. "Just leave me alone," Alice said and sat on the edge of the tower, cupped her knees in her hands and focused on the city below her. To her dismay, Jane didn't leave. Which was a bit ironic, Alice thought quietly, since yesterday she was wishing Jane wouldn't leave the room.

"I can't do that," Jane paused before she continued; "Aro has sent me to collect you."

Rage filled Alice and she turned around with such swiftness, without realizing Jane was standing right behind her, knocked her over with so much force that her small teenage body flew across the tower and crashed hard in to the wall. Her body lopsided to the floor faster than a blink of eye and Alice saw that she wasn't moving.

"JANE!" Alice yelled and crouched down to Jane, reaching out to help her when suddenly, her eyes flickered open and deep red eyes stared up in to Alice. Jane's eyebrow arched and she began laughing, partially from the seriousness in Alice's expression and partially at the fun she was having in it all.

Alice jumped back in both shock and anger—she had just had the shit scared out of her. She should have known better that _nothing _could hurt them but still, the moment she didn't move was a moment of eternity and she had thought _something _had happened.

"You should have seen your face," Jane said in between laughs. "You looked terrified."

Alice stood there, pissed off and to top it all off, the person who was laughing at her had been the cause of her upset feelings, her anger, and her frustration. The roller coaster of emotions that she had felt within the time in Volterra, that she was continuing to feel, were detrimental to Alice's existence and she just wanted, desperately, to get away from it all.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I just want to be left alone right now." Alice pleaded.

Jane ceased to laugh but held her position, perched on the ground looking up at Alice. Her eyebrow was still arched and she held a very curious expression, "Why?"

"What?" Alice wasn't sure if she had heard her right. Maybe Jane had said "Bye," but that would be wishful thinking since she hadn't moved from her position.

"Why are you upset over my punishing Demitri?" Jane asked.

The question was straight to the point that it took Alice several moments to actually absorb it. Now that the question was asked, however, Alice couldn't exactly pinpoint how to word her feelings and emotions. She supposed that she would start with morality—"Because it's wrong. It is wrong to hurt others…"

Jane cut her off quickly, "You hurt me just now."

Jane smirked up at Alice's gawking expression. "That's different," began Alice.

"How so?" Jane cut her off again; she was quick with her words.

"Because of my intentions—I didn't intend to hurt you. You were standing right next to me and I just, I turned around too quickly and didn't see you. But you on the other hand, you intended to hurt Demitri and what's more, you didn't even express remorse or regret. Like, you hurt him and you were fine with it…"

"I am merely a means to an end, dear Alice," Jane said in a lyrical fashion.

"What's that supposed to mean? That you're a tool for Aro? That anytime he wants to use you for torture, you oblige?" Alice was raging out against the injustice that she had witnessed in the chamber.

"It means that I, like all Volturi, do what is required of me." Jane added, this time with seriousness in her voice.  
Alice couldn't believe she was having this conversation—she couldn't believe the lack of morals Jane held and she certainly couldn't believe the cruelty and injustice that existed within the Volturi.

"Does it not stop there? Do you kill the innocent for Aro, too?"

Jane's eyes glowed blood red and Alice's face contorted with anger. Of course she did, that's what _they_ do.

"You were just like us, at one time," Jane taunted and half smiled. The statement shocked Alice and she stood there in recollection of her past…

"Yes," Alice breathed heavily, "But now I'm better than that."

"I wouldn't call it better. You're just different from us." Jane began as she took a step forward, "There's nothing wrong with different."

"There's right and there's wrong," Alice persisted, "and that was wrong."

"Morality is subjective," Jane said and took another step closer to Alice. The gap between them was shortening rather fast.

Philosophically, Jane had proven a very valid point. Morality appears to be subjective; that is, every person upholds their own morality. But naturally, free thinking beings objectify their morality. However, to Alice, there was an objective standard of morality—as in, an ultimate list of permissible actions and wrong actions and that meant that Jane was still wrong.

Alice looked to Jane—she was so close to her, too close. Her aura engulfed Alice's senses and she could feel her heart rhythm change from a beat of anger to one of excitement. Alice's breathing shifted, it seemed like she had to work extra hard to acquire the air in her lungs. Jane noticed and smiled.

"I know," Jane began a lighthearted laugh and looked up in to Alice's honey brown eyes, "I'm right."

Alice couldn't believe Jane's arrogance. "No, you're not, it's just…"

Jane's lips silenced her. She wasn't even done thinking thoughts on how to word her counter argument and she was silenced by the one thing she had wanted all along. Jane had been so close that it was all too easy to wrap her slender arms around Alice's head to pull her down for a kiss. It all happened too fast and Alice's heart exploded from excitement in her chest.

She was kissing Jane. _Oh God, she was kissing Jane. _

Alice allowed her tongue to slip in and begin its dance of love with Jane; such a natural gesture and yet it overwhelmingly reminded her of what it meant to exist, what the greater purpose of existence was: to love. Alice wrapped her arms around Jane's waist and allowed her hands to roam her slender figure as they kissed. All of the years of suppression, all of the years of denial and isolation from what she wanted, what she _needed_, had made her unbelievably thirsty for the embrace that she stood in at that moment. It was as if before this, she hadn't been existing and that this, kissing Jane under the glamorous moon, was life, the life she had been denied for circumstances beyond her control.

Jane pulled away from the kiss which allowed Alice to catch her breathe. The air in her lungs had new meaning—she was breathing as a living entity, not merely as a living corps. Alice looked at Jane, who merely smiled up at her. She had no idea how much Alice needed that; the touch of a woman, the feel of a woman.

Jane took a step back as if to leave but Alice, in one swift move, pulled Jane towards her and kissed her again—this time, with the intent to keep her there, she didn't want to be left alone anymore.

It was as if they were expressing their deepest passions through their gestures. Alice was being kissed in such a way that she felt her soul, something vampires believed to not exist within them, uplift. Jane had awakened her essence and she could feel a spiritual element entwined with their lovers embrace. Alice didn't dare stop kissing and holding Jane—she was in complete bliss.

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	8. Chapter 8: Look at Me

**Dear My Fave (A),**

**I dedicate this chapter to you, you who has continually pushed me to continue my writing endeavors and who is my biggest supporter in my writing career.  
I would like to admit that of all the chapters I have written thus far, I enjoyed writing this the most and it is for this reason that I dedicate it to you :)  
So I hope you enjoy, because this one's for you.  
-M.**

**Dearest Readers~**

**I would like to admit that I said: "fuck my homework" and spent the day writing this chapter instead. It is for this sacrifice that I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.**

**-State0FMind**

**Chapter 8: Look at me **

Alice perched her head up and looked down at Jane with great sorrow.  
"That's how you were turned?"

Jane didn't look at her. She looked out the window which overlooked the garden. From the angle that she was sitting in the bed, Jane couldn't see the flowers. She had nothing to distract her from the pain that she was feeling and she began to feel tears form in her eyes. "Yes, that's when Aro turned us."

Alice didn't know what to say. In the past several hours since the kissing on the tower, they had been laying in Jane's bed all the while talking about anything and everything that came to their minds. The conversation had turned to Jane's past, or rather her past life as a human. The circumstances in which she was turned in to a Vampire were terrifyingly horrific and Alice felt sorry for all that Jane had gone through.

"When was Alec turned?" Alice was afraid to ask.

"He was turned after me. When Aro saw my…abilities, he turned Alec. Aro thought if one twin had such abilities," Jane paused, it hurt her to say all of this, to be vulnerable, "then the other would as well."

They both sat there in silence. Jane's head was still turned away from Alice to where she couldn't see her expression. Alice hesitated to express her condolences; she didn't want to offend Jane by feeling sorry for her.

Suddenly Jane turned and faced Alice, tears were streaming down her face uncontrollably and her eyes were such a deep red that Alice couldn't tell where Jane's irises were.

"He was turned because of me," Jane was becoming delirious, "Alec was made this way …." She was sobbing uncontrollably, "because of me…"

"Come here," Alice whispered as she pulled Jane in to an embrace and held her there as she continued to cry it out. It hurt Alice to see Jane upset like that but she knew that Jane needed this, to vent it all out. Alice could tell she didn't do this often, if ever at all before.

Alice continued to hold her, rubbing her back soothingly as Jane cried on. Though the circumstances of their embrace were extremely upsetting to Alice, she couldn't help but love the feeling of Jane's head resting on her shoulder; she could smell her delicate hair and it aroused her to no end. Alice casually rested her chin softly against her delicate head, feeling oddly at home. She held her there and wasn't prepared to let go. She never wanted to let go, she wanted to stay in that position until they've both outlived humanity. But, as all good things come to an end, so did this.

Jane maneuvered herself out of Alice's grasp and turned her head away, as if she was ashamed to look at her.  
"Look at me," Alice demanded softly.

Jane didn't look. Instead, she had crossed the room and was reaching out to grab her cloak. The dark cloak which she wore at all times within the large Volturi chamber. Alice knew that Jane intended to leave the room but she didn't want her to leave without discussing certain important matters that had happened recently, specifically in the last several hours.

Alice quickly made her way over to Jane and carefully maneuvered her chin to face her, "Look at me."

Jane's eyes were averted to the ground. The tear streaks still fresh on her face. Alice allowed her hand to slide up, cupping the side of Jane's face and she watched as her expressions softened from the gesture, her eyes drawing closed. Alice pulled her into an embrace. Now that they were standing and since she wasn't distracted by kissing her, she noticed that she was taller than Jane, so much so that she could rest her chin atop of Jane's small head. Alice could feel Jane's tiny hands on her back, they were held there firmly, and she knew that discussing it all now would be too much. "Just don't shut me out," Alice pleaded. It was all that she could say.

Jane didn't respond. Her face was away from Alice's view. Jane tightened her grip around Alice. Her gestures were enough, she didn't need to respond.

Suddenly the door opened and Jane pulled out of the embrace so quick that Alice had lost her stepping. Alice turned around to find Carlisle at the door.

"Oh I'm sorry," Carlisle began, "I should have knocked. I didn't think anyone was in here. I can't find my suitcase, I thought perhaps Alice put it in here."

Jane glared at Carlisle and Alice could hear here quietly clear her throat. "Do not apologize, I was on my way out. You may look around."

Alice watched as Jane walked past her, she didn't even dare to look at her. Alice sighed as she watched Jane walk out of the room with great swiftness and then she turned to Carlisle, bearing a wide grin up at him.

"Hey," Alice said.

"Hey," Carlisle said and he looked like he was looking for something, "I can't find my suitcase."

Alice smiled and laughed, "She's out of the room."

Carlisle looked over his shoulder to make sure and gave a smile, "So she is."

Alice came over and nudged him playfully, "What did you see?"

Carlisle smiled and laughed as he continued to look around the room, "Oh nothing. Can you help me find my suitcase?"

Alice laughed hard to his persistence. Both of them knew that he hadn't brought a suitcase. Both Carlisle and Edward were the only Cullen's who knew of Alice's sexuality and she knew from his expression that he had in fact seen something. Not that she minded, but Alice was worried that Jane would be upset. It was apparent that Jane didn't ever become romantically involved while in Volterra.

"So," Carlisle began as he looked at her, ceasing to pretend to look for a non-existing suitcase. "Am I adopting a Volturi in to the family?"

Alice laughed, Carlisle certainly had a sense of humor. "Don't tell Jasper about this," Alice began, "it'll break his heart."

"Good idea," Carlisle replied.

Their sarcastic exchanges always brought a smile to Alice's face. She knew that Carlisle wouldn't ever tell her secret to the rest of the family. Alice liked to have an element of privacy about certain matters, such as her love life. Unlike the couples that she lived with in Forks, she didn't want to flaunt her love to the whole world—she'd rather enjoy it privately, it was so much more liberating that way.

"I actually came to check if you were okay," Carlisle began, "I didn't meant to disrupt anything."

Alice was reminded of what Jane did. It still upset her but she wasn't angry at Jane, she was more so angry at the circumstances that called for Jane to act that way.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Alice said. It was the truth. She was finally feeling normal, after the emotional rollercoaster she had experienced before.

"I'm glad," Carlisle said. "Come, let's go to the chamber."

Carlisle guided Alice out of the room until Alice shuddered and half collapsed to the floor.

Visions began to fill her mind. She was no longer seeing her surroundings; instead she was seeing a dark cellar unlike anything she's ever seen before. Alice saw that her and Jane were sitting in a corner of the large cellar, despair stricken across Jane's face and just as suddenly as her visions had appeared, so her visions vanished. When she saw her surroundings, she quickly looked up to Carlisle.

"Are you alright? What did you see?" Carlisle quickly asked as he helped her up from the floor. Alice felt lightheaded and it was hard for her to formulate her words.

"I saw some sort of cellar, Jane and I were both in some sort of cellar…" Alice began.

Carlisle laughed. "You know, down bellow the chamber there are cellars. Perhaps you'll have a rendezvous with her down there later," he said and winked.

Alice had a feeling it wasn't the same cellar. The look on Jane's face was horrifying to recall and Alice felt terrified. Carlisle's words were of little comfort to her and she was extremely bothered by her visions…

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Selene walked with great swiftness to the back of the mansion. Kahn had contacted her to notify that Rigel had regained enough energy to hold a conversation and Selene wanted to get to him before Kraven. She was deeply curious on how he had burned so badly. She wanted to know if this was the faults of the beasts, the Lycan breed that stained the Ancient Corvinus strain. Selene would gladly seek revenge upon the beasts that did this to him, that caused him to burn from sunlight. She just needed to know where they were…

"You're lucky," Kahn said as he saw Selene walk through the door of the mansion's medical facility, "Kraven's gone out."

"Kraven isn't my concern," Selene began as she walked towards Rigel's bed.

Kahn gave a slight laugh, "What he doesn't know can't upset him."

Selene glanced back at Kahn and smiled in great appreciation. Selene had a close relationship with Kahn and she loved that she could trust him with a secret. Kraven would be upset to find that Selene conversed with Rigel—he would engage in a power trip over such matters. But Selene was doing her job, protecting the Coven from the vile beasts that lay outside the Coven walls and she needed to speak to Rigel in order to do just that.

Selene approached Rigel's bed, his eyes were closed and his skin looked ghastly pale. The blue veins were extruding from his skin, the blue veins drained of blood, was their sign of immortality. As she approached his bed, he opened his eyes. Selene smiled down at him and bore as much of a compassionate expression as she could formulate. He was, after all, her death dealer partner and they've been through so many slayings together that she couldn't help but feel deeply sorry to see him in such a condition.

"How are you feeling?" Selene soothed down to him, she didn't dare touch him. He was healing and she needed to allow the natural process to occur without disruption.

"Better," Rigel forced out, his voice was harsh.

Selene nodded and paused before she asked, "How did this happen. Did you have an encounter with the beasts?"

Selene watched as Rigel painfully shook his head, signifying a no.

"Selene," Rigel began whispering. Selene knew Rigel like a brother and saw that his expression was one of great terror. "Vampires…" he coughed out, heaving his chest to breathe.

Selene was confused. What could he be talking about; no other Vampire would do such a thing. They were all apart of the Ancient Coven, all descendents of Corvinus, why would a vampire ever do this to another of it's kind.

"Who?" Selene asked, clarifying that she had heard him right.

"Vampires…not like us," Rigel was struggling the words out. It was clear to Selene that he was in a much worst condition than she had realized, "they don't burn…."

Selene was beginning to think Rigel had gone crazy. "Kahn, is Rigel on any sort of medication? He is speaking deliriously…"

Kahn looked up from his lab table and shook his head no. Selene felt her wrist being grabbed and looked down to see a charcoal burnt hand upon it. "Selene look at me."

Selene looked down at him, she really didn't know what to expect at that point.

"I'm not delirious…Vampires…. some sort of anomaly…they did this to me…"

The last part really struck home for Selene, "Are you…sure, Rigel?"

To accuse a Vampire of doing such a blasphemous thing was almost traitorous but  
Rigel looked up at her with so much sincerity and conviction in his eyes that Selene felt great fears build up within her. Rigel was telling her that some sort of Vampires did this to him. Vampires, not Lycans, did this to Rigel. He had made her mission clear—find out who had done that to him and why. If Rigel says Vampires did this, then so she will go Vampire hunting. If such a vampire had committed this, then she would deliver them to Amelia and justice would prevail.

Selene took a step away from the bed and approached Kahn's lab station.

"What do you do with the weapons I bring to you?"

Kahn looked up at her, a little confused. "You mean your personal hand set?"

Selene was getting frustrated. She wasn't referring to her own guns that she uses to shoot at Lycans. Then again, her question had been ambiguous so she calmed herself down before saying: "No, the weapons of the beasts with the ultraviolet ammunition, where do you put them?"

Kahn's brow creased in concern, "Selene…"

"Kahn, so help me right now, I will not ask again." The seriousness in her voice was clearer than crystal and he wasn't about to provoke her in any way. "In the weapons lab…."

"Can you manufacture a bullet with such a low degree of ultraviolet radiation that it wouldn't kill but….stun, per say?"

Kahn didn't ask questions. He didn't want to know. "I can," he admitted after several moments.

"I need a full round within the hour…"

Kahn merely nodded at her and left what he was working on to begin descending to the weapons lab.

Selene slowly approached Rigel's bed, composing herself as she accepted what she was getting herself in to. She was breaking Coven laws on so many levels that if it wasn't Rigel's head, it would certainly be Selene's.

Selene took a deep breathe, "Where?"

Rigel looked up at her with horror in his eyes.

"Where Rigel, I won't ask again."

Rigel paused before he turned, his blue eyes weakened by the pain, "Volterra…"

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	9. Chapter 9: Goodbyes

**Chapter 9: "Goodbyes" **

When Alice stepped in to the large Volturi chamber, a wave of disgust filled her. Her perception on the Volturi had been drastically altered over the course of the night and she suddenly found herself half wishing she could return to Forks. Except for complications, such as recent romantic exchanges, she would have gladly left Volterra long ago.

As she walked within the chamber, all eyes fell upon her. She didn't dare look around, not even to find Jane. She wanted to avoid looking at them at all costs and followed closely behind Carlisle as he made his way through the crowded chamber.

"Ah, I see that Alice is feeling better."

Alice reluctantly looked up at the man who had just said the statement. Aro's eyes were bright red, it was clear to her that he had just fed. She looked around the room and found Jane next to Alec; her eyes expressed the same rejuvenation as the rest of the Volturi. It bothered her deeply to know that Jane left the bedroom in order to murder and feed off of the innocent humans who were lured to their fate by the sadistic Heidi.

"Thankfully yes, she is much better. The both of us will be departing tomorrow morning," Carlisle paused before adding, "If you should need us, if there is to be a future…incident, we will return…."

Carlisle's last statement "we will return" caused a sensation deep within Alice and she naturally averted her gaze back to Jane in the corner. Her expression was cold, hard; like the day they met, and Alice didn't recognize Jane—she was so different within the Volturi chamber than she was outside of it. It made Alice feel uneasy and self-conscious, as if everything Jane said outside those walls were a façade and the real Jane lay within. Alice didn't want to think any negative thoughts at the moment and turned to face Carlisle and Aro, who were busy discussing "what if's" and "then this."

"And you will be leaving when?" Aro asked, clearly ending the conversation on the mysterious vampire.

"Our flight departs at 8:45am, we should be leaving Volterra about 7am." Carlisle said.

The conversations in the chamber made the reality ever so real at that moment: Alice was leaving her darling Jane in less than twenty four hours. She needed to talk to her, she needed to find out more, more answers and more truths; she just needed more time. Alice turned to look at Jane but she had gone out of the chamber, leaving an empty space where she had been. It became all too clear to Alice. All too real.

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Jane stood upon the tallest tower at the highest point in Volterra, looking at the horizon. The setting sun was causing drastic and vibrant color shifts in the skies. Blue faded to purple which faded to darker shades as the sun continued to escape to the other side. She loved coming there to clear her mind but at that moment, her mind was racing on thousands of thoughts, all regarding Alice.

Jane heard a movement behind her but she didn't bother to turn around, her senses could tell her it was Alice from a mile away. Besides, Alice would be the only one to come and find her up there—the rest of the Volturi knew to leave Jane to her peace.

"I've been looking for you everywhere…"

Jane knew that was a lie. Alice could find her easily within the city, she just chose not to.  
Jane didn't turn around and continued to face the horizon. She could suddenly relate to how Alice felt when she wanted to be left alone the day before, only Jane didn't have the heart to shun her away like that. Alice was far more sensitive, it was her weakness.

Alice stared at the back of Jane's head. She loved how it was styled; it was one of the things that attracted her to Jane. She slowly approached Jane from behind and carefully wrapped her arms loosely around Jane's waist. Jane didn't move and Alice was feeling a bit helpless; Jane was shutting herself out from Alice when she needed her to open up. She needed Jane to be honest with her because she, herself, needed to be honest with Jane.

"What are you thinking?" Alice whispered in Jane's ear.

Alice waited for several moments of eternity and when no response came, she instinctively tightened her gripped around Jane's waist and pulled her so close that Alice's heart beat hard through her chest. "I'm not leaving until we talk," Alice said in persistence.

"Then we'll stand here until morning," Jane said smoothly.

Alice turned Jane's face towards her, forcing her body to turn around in response. "Don't do this…." Alice said, pleading with her eyes.

Jane turned out of Alice's grips and tossed her hands to Alice's last remark, took several steps and folded her arms in stubbornness. It took several moments of composure before Jane allowed herself to speak: "The fact is…." Jane turned and looked at Alice, "you're leaving to return to your…lifestyle."

Alice could tell that Jane was upset and took several steps towards her but was hurt to find Jane backing away with every advancement that she made, "You're leaving, Alice. Our lives will return just as they were before …"

"Before us," Alice finished her sentence while taking a strong step towards Jane, cornering her. Jane averted her eyes to look at anything except Alice, she couldn't allow herself to become any more vulnerable than she already was; she had become weak because of her.

"It doesn't have to be like this," Alice whispered as she came close to Jane. She slowly led her hands to Jane's waist and pulled her carefully towards her, allowing her hands to wrap around her back in the meantime. "This doesn't have to end."

Jane was finding it hard to breathe. She was finding it hard to resist being in Alice's embrace; but thoughts of her departure, the anger, was fighting within and she couldn't deny the hurt she was feeling at knowing she was losing the one thing she wanted, the one thing she needed.

Alice kissed her neck softly and Jane could feel tears forming in her eyes. Alice could feel from the shuddering of her breathe that Jane was becoming emotional and she continued to kiss her neck between words: "We…. belong…. together."

Alice looked at Jane and saw tears falling down her delicate face and kissed them away before kissing her eyelids, her forehead, and then slowly descending down to kiss her beautiful lips. Alice had Jane right where she wanted her, right where she needed her. The kiss was so sensual, so full of meaning and passion that Alice decided in that moment that she would sacrifice living with the Cullens in order to be with Jane. She loved her and would do anything for her.

Suddenly, a sharp pain filled the entire of Alice. A pain like she had never experienced in her life. She couldn't move and her sight of vision went white--she no longer could see. She felt herself collapse on the floor and fell out of consciousness.

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"Alice…Alice!" Jane looked down at her, she wasn't opening her eyes. She began to shake her but Alice was still not moving. Terror filled Jane and she was crying in desperation, she was absolutely helpless. "Please," Jane pleaded to the figure standing outside the cage.

Selene looked down at the pathetic beings. Her catch was all too easy. It didn't take as long as she expected to find these strange vampires in Volterra. The moment she entered the city, she felt a strong presence, being neither Lycan nor human, within the tallest tower and quickly made her way there. She smirked as she recalled watching their romantic exchanges. The angle she held her gun was perfect for shooting the first amidst a feeble embrace; watching the horror on the smaller's face as her lover collapsed to the floor was all too satisfying for Selene. She was far too good at her job and grinned at her catch.

Kahn stepped into the room and eyed the two figures within the cellar; it was clear to him that they certainly were neither human nor Lycan. Perhaps Rigel was right…

"Unusual, aren't they?" Selene asked him. Though catching them was far easier and more pleasant than she had expected, the fact was that Rigel had been right.  
She was desperately hoping that Rigel wouldn't have been right, but here they were, proof, and she had been the one to catch them.

"I don't believe it," Kahn began and took a step forward to look at the conscious one. He watched as she stood there, glaring at him with such fierceness. Her face was contorted from anger and rage, tears streamed uncontrollably down her face and it looked like she was trying to mentally accomplish something. He almost pitied her. "What do you eat?" He asked.

She screamed in such rage that it was almost piercing to Kahn's ears and he watched as she ran forward and came in to contact with the cell bars, only to collapse moments later to the ground unconscious.

"Did you not tell her that the cellar has an Ultra Violet coding?" Kahn asked, turning to Selene.

Selene smiled in a sly manner, "It must have slipped my mind. Will she be fine? I don't want to harm them before Amelia returns, and what about the larger? She hasn't awakened yet…"

Kahn eyed them through the gaps in the cell bars, "I'm not sure. I'll need to run some tests."

Selene nodded and turned around only to find the one vampire she didn't want to see, Kraven, followed by the vampire she desperately needed to see, Amelia. They walked gracefully through the door and Selene braced herself.

"Are you unaware of Coven Laws?" Amelia began, "or do you just choose not to follow them?"

Selene could see Kraven snickering in the background and anger began to fill her. It was clear that Amelia's early return to the Coven had been Kraven's doing and that he was enjoying watching Amelia deal with everything that he wasn't strong enough to handle.

"I am afraid I acted out of place," Selene began, bowing graciously before Amelia, "But as you can see, what I have captured is of great importance to our Coven's survival and prosperity. I know you sense it, too. They're neither human nor Lycan, yet they are not like us…"

Amelia gestured for Selene's silence and took a step forward to eye the two collapsed figures on the ground. Several moments passed before she turned and with a grave expression on her face, she muttered words that sent shivers down Selene's spine:

"Awaken Viktor."


	10. Chapter 10: Awakening

**Chapter 10 Ignorance is Bliss  
**

Selene couldn't believe what she had just heard. From the expressions on their faces, nor could Kraven or Kahn. It was clear that they were just as shocked as she was. Amelia was requesting that they awaken Viktor and this very fact terrified Selene to her core….

Since Selene could remember, since before she, herself, had been turned into a vampire, the Ancient Coven had been hierarchically structured in such that the three elders: Markus, Amelia, and Viktor, would not rule the coven all at one time. Struggles for control of the coven had been heard in tales regarding days of old and the deep desire within each elder to rule alone, prevailed. To preserve the balance of power, to preserve their bodily corpse, it was agreed: one was to rule as the two remaining rested. That's the way it had been for centuries over centuries. The chain unbroken, unaltered, unquestioned, until now….

"My lady," Kraven stepped forward, it was clear that he couldn't believe what Amelia had just said, "Viktor isn't to be awakened for another century…"

Amelia turned and slapped Kraven with such force that he lopsided to the ground.

"Your incompetence could be seen as a lack of loyalty, in which I would personally deliver the punishment, myself, Kraven…" Amelia snarled at the pathetic vampire on the ground, cowering from fear.

"Selene," Amelia began, turning to her, "you will awaken Viktor…"

Amelia's eyes were softer when she looked up at Selene, but it didn't change the terror Selene felt inside. She nodded and walked out of the chamber with a sense of uneasiness.

Selene hadn't given it a second thought in Volterra what the consequences of bringing the creatures back to the Coven were. She never thought that it would cause the uproar to the extent that it has. She was expected to awaken Viktor a hundred years before his time and she knew his temper. He will not be pleased to find Amelia amongst the Coven at his awakening…

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Bella sat down in her usual seat, next to Edward. His face was turned to the window; he hadn't noticed her sit down. She quickly opened her notebook and waited a few moments before she summoned the courage to ask: "Are you alright?"

Edward turned to face her; he had a pained expression and just by looking at him, Bella felt sorry for him, despite not knowing what it was that bothered him.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Edward forced out.

"Well, you don't look fine…" Bella insisted. She felt that the dinner date had caused a sort of connecting between the two of them, a connection of friendship, if anything. She just wanted to find out what was bothering him because he looked ghastly pale and he had dark bags under his eyes, far more purple than humanly possible—he looked like a ghost.

"I'm just thinking …" Edward finally admitted, still looking out the window.

"What about?" Bella hoped that she wasn't sounding too persistent.

"Alice…" Edward admitted, saying her name stung. He hadn't heard from her or Carlisle and their stay in Volterra had lasted much longer than Carlisle had originally predicted. Suddenly, a cell phone ring tone went off quietly and Edward reached into his pocket, pulled out the device and answered, despite being in class—even though the teacher hadn't walked in from lunch yet.

The gesture surprised Bella but what surprised her even more is that he didn't pick up with a normal "hello." In fact, he hadn't said a word when he picked up the call. She watched as he seemed to be listening to whoever was on the other end and in the following moments, his facial expressions changed drastically. At first, he looked worried but slowly his face contorted in anger.

In one swift move, he stood up so fast that it shocked Bella, for she hadn't ever seen anyone move as fast as he did in that moment. He was out of the classroom before she could even begin her phrase: "Where are you going…"

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Alice opened her eyes slowly and found that her vision was blurry. Her head was pounding with such a pain that she didn't know what was going on. Fear overwhelmed her, a sensation that she hadn't felt in a very long time.

"Jane…" Alice whispered, feeling around. The floor was damp and cold and it scared her even more that she didn't know where she was or why she was this way. She didn't understand—never as being a vampire had she ever lost her vision. Never as a vampire had she had such a pain throbbing in her head. Was she dead?

"Don't be alarmed, your friend will wake up shortly…"

Alice didn't recognize the voice and she couldn't tell if he was talking to her. She couldn't even see who he was. She couldn't see anything at all and she began to shudder uncontrollably from fear.

"Who..are you…" Alice said in between shudders. Tears were flowing down her face, she could feel them. At least she hadn't lost all of her senses.

"Your vision should return in a few moments, try and relax."

Alice closed her eyes and allowed the tears to stream down. She couldn't relax; she was in such a state of shock, feeling such a state of fear that her body was convulsing. She wanted to go home; she wanted to find Jane and simply go home.

"Please," Alice began crying, "Please just let us go…"

"Alice?"

A small wave of relief filled Alice, Jane was there with her—the stranger hadn't entirely lied. Alice began desperately searching with her hands.

"Jane!...Where are you?" Alice was crawling on her hands and knees toward the direction she had heard Jane speak. Her voice was faint thus leaving her position ambiguous.

"Al-lice" Jane stuttered but the sound was enough to point Alice in a general direction and she quickened her crawl.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked, she just needed Jane to keep talking. Wherever they were, it was large enough so that Alice had to continuously crawl on her hands and knees, feeling around for Jane.

"I can't see, Alice….I can't see!!" Jane sounded hysterical and Alice couldn't stop the tears from streaming down. She didn't know how they got to where they were, she didn't understand what was going on, confusion was filling her mind and above it all, Jane wasn't remaining calm.

"I know, hun," Alice said in an attempt to calm Jane. Jane's voice was so close and Alice took large strides on her knees, stretching out her arms for anything. She felt a wall, damp and dirty. Under normal circumstances, It would have grossed Alice out to touch something so dirty but she was too overwhelmed with emotions to care about filth.

Suddenly Alice felt a hand on her. The grasp was strong—she was being pulled away from the direction she was headed. Alice realized that she was being pulled away from Jane. She tried to fight it but the grasp was too strong. She felt multiple hands grasp her, there was more than one. Terror filled her; she tried to fight, to resist, with all her might. She tried to maneuver out of the grasps, she tried to do anything but they were too strong. She couldn't shake them…

"ALICE!"

She could hear Jane screaming her name and it caused a natural adrenaline urge within Alice. She tried to get out of the hands' grasp, blind still and unable to see where she was going. Tears were streaming down her face, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS." Alice screamed, sobbing while attempting to resist.

"You needn't distress yourself, we will not hurt you."

A voice she didn't recognize was coming from a being she couldn't see while in a location she was unaware of. Confusion and anger, terror and fear, longing and sadness, filled the entirety of Alice and she could hear Jane screaming in the distance. They had got to her darling Jane.

"ALICE…"

It was the last thing she heard.

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Selene walked in through the large doors in to Viktor's chamber and tilted her head back in remembrance. She closed her eyes as the memories flooded her mind, memories of when Viktor was the ruling elder. Memories dating over a century prior to that moment and yet, walking into the chamber she felt a sense of déjà vu. As if the years of immortality blurred together and it had only been yesterday when she would have walked in to the chamber to find Viktor and the council members discussing matters of importance. Viktor would always gesture for Selene to stand by his side and he would often whisper in her ear personal statements regarding the council. Tears were forming from the memories and Selene opened her eyes to look at the empty chamber.

The chamber had remained unchanged, physically. It was emotional just standing in the room. She had too many fond memories of her mentor, sitting upon the throne, discussing anything and everything with her. How she missed him…

She looked on the ground at the three large circles and eyed the one with the letter V scribed on it in gothic lettering. She learned down and pressed the selective spaces on the circle until it made a noise and the circle slid away revealing the top of a casket. She backed away as the casket slowly raised itself from the ground and it took several moments before it was positioned in such a way that she could begin the awakening ceremony.

The casket was dark mahogany wood and Viktor's emblem marked in Gold, glowed in the center. Her dearest Viktor's bodily corps lay shriveled within. She would need to revive him with blood and aid in his rejuvenation. Excitement began to fill her—she was finally to be reunited with him, once again. She scolded herself as to why earlier she had been so terrified at the prospect of awakening Viktor, even if it was on behalf of Amelie.

Selene moved her wrist to her mouth and paused in hesitation for a moment to simply absorb everything that had happened within the past several days. So much has happened, so many memories. Of course, Viktor would see them all, all of the memories she had experienced, all the visions and all of the emotions experienced by Selene. It was all within her blood, permanent record of everything that she had done and by awakening him, by utilizing her own blood for him, he would have access to it all.

She had nothing to hide from Viktor and Selene bit in to her wrists, allowing her fangs to deeply penetrate her skin. The blood poured out uncontrollably and she moved her wrist to the pipe located on the side of the casket. The pipe carried Selene's blood all the way to the opening of Viktor's dried mouth, where it ventured in and began rejuvenating his bodily functions.

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	11. Chapter 11: Revival

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting!**

Chapter 11: Revival 

The first thing she heard was the voices. Unrecognizable voices sporadically descending from all areas around her. Blinded, her senses were overwhelmed with sensations of touch and the various sounds that were produced all around her. Multiple conversations, clanking of metal together, whispers, footsteps; it was chaotic to hear. She was stationary, her arms uncomfortably positioned above her head and as she tried to maneuver out, she realized her wrists were cuffed. She tried feeling with her fingers for any way to unlock the cuffs but they were out of reach of anything that would help.

"Ah, Alice is awake."

Alice heard a voice utter the sentence and she stood perfectly still as she listened to multiple figures walking closer towards her. She felt a tingle of fear but the general feeling had been largely suppressed by fatigue—she was restless from the stresses of the recent events and she was hungry. Very, very hungry.

"Hello Alice," it was a male's voice, "have you regained your vision?"

Alice didn't respond. She could feel her eyelids were open but she saw nothing—her field of vision was blank. Whoever was talking to her, whatever they were, they had aided in what was done to her, what was being done to Jane. They were the reason that she was blind. They were the ones who did all of this, the capture and imprisonment, the blinding and the throbbing pain felt in her temples; this was their entire fault. She pouted in defiance and refused to speak.

There was a long moment's pause that seemed to last eternity. Since Alice couldn't see what was happening and no one appeared to be moving or talking, the feeling of fear grew stronger despite her overall weariness. There she remained, standing in chains, wearing an unwavering expression on her face.

"Alice," a sultry female voice began speaking. She held an unrecognizable accent and Alice could hear a figure step towards her, coming so close that Alice could almost see a shadow within her view. Several moments of silence ensued before she heard the voice speak again:

"Alice…..that is your name, is it not?"

Alice realized her silence was interpreted as a lack of cooperation and stubbornness, which was her original intention but the polite gestures were beginning to soften her up.

"Yes…yes, Alice is my name."

Alice waited in anxiety for a response—it seemed as if whoever she was talking to was taking their time to respond. She wanted to take this moment to reassess her situation and called out to the one person, the only thing, that mattered in that moment:

"JANE?!" Alice yelled out. No response came, not even from the beings that were within feet of Alice's strapped-down body.

"Your companion is resting," the female replied on behalf of Jane.

Alice was frustrated and scared, tired and terrified, exhausted and exasperated; Vampires don't rest and thus, whatever Jane was doing was not resting. Whether she was faking sleep so that their captors would leave her be, or she was actually hurt in such a way that she was not conscious, or even worst: if she were dead; nevertheless, the response that Alice received was to no help and did nothing to comfort her. Resting was not a good thing for beings who never rest and Alice was feeling far more anxious within that moment that she had before and she wanted clarification.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Suddenly, Alice saw spots of color. She began blinking uncontrollably—her eyes were stinging from constant adjustment—and within several moments she could see blurred figures standing very close to her. She continued to blink as she was slowly regaining her vision. She let out a desperate laugh—she was becoming delirious—and she was entirely relieved to know that the blindness wasn't permanent.

"She's regaining her vision."

Alice heard a male's voice say the statement. It disgusted to know that her captors were watching her through a microscope: watching her every move and noting every fact about her.

Alice closed her eyes. The blurry plain of sight was confusing and irritating and she just wanted to keep them closed until her sight was one hundred percent restored. She used these moments to clear her mind; she needed to think of a plan to get her and Jane out. She needed to find Jane and get her out. But shit, Alice was strapped to a chair. She needed to figure out how to first get herself out of the straps. She wasn't strong enough to pull herself out of the straps—she hadn't fed in days. Her strength was gone due to her lack of nutrients and she knew she needed to remain calm—any sort of sensation that aroused great emotion wasted energy and she needed to save it for her escape. But out of the list of shit she needed to do, Alice knew the most important factor was to regain her vision first.

Alice slowly opened her eyes and found figures out of focus slowly coming in to clear focus and within moments she saw them. She saw those who had done all of this. Emotions were building within her and Alice couldn't suppress it as well as she needed to. Past all of their heads, past it all, she could see Jane strapped to an off-vertical bed, medical tubes wiring in and out of her body led down to a machine, which seemed to be monitoring her. Jane wasn't moving at all and Alice felt tears stream down at her face as she stared in horror at the lifeless body. _Was Jane dead?_ Alice didn't know, she couldn't tell by the symbols on the machine—_what exactly did the symbols mean?  
_  
She saw figures approach her, hands were reaching out and Alice looked down to find similar tubes running through her body as well. Tears began blurring her vision but through them, she looked in absolute horror at a similar machine. _What was being done to them?_

A hand was removing one of the tubes from the machine and injected a large needle to the end. A man with dark skin and bright blue eyes, _he had blue eyes, _injected a needle in to the end of the tube and filled it with ….._Oh fuck, _Alice looked in horror as the needle was filled with her blood. They were removing the little blood she had left within her, they were sucking her dry slowly by slowly. Alice felt her eyes begin to flutter to the back of her head.

"She's slipping Kahn," Amelia said as she looked over his shoulder. She was deeply concerned at loosing their guest so soon, before they fully understood _what _she was.

"I know," Kahn said, "We just don't know enough…."

Kahn looked back at the being before her: Alice was convulsing. She was shaking hard, her eyes rolling in the back of her head and she was mumbling but Kahn couldn't make out what, exactly. Her head was being tossed violently side to side and Kahn looked from her back to Amelia and with great concern on his face, he whispered the statement he knew Amelia would not want to hear:

"I don't know how to save her…."

* * *

Several hours after Selene walked in to Viktor's chamber and awakened him, she was astounded to find him walking around with great strength. Albeit, his corps was attached to a large machine that fed him the nourishing blood that his body needed in order to properly regenerate. Each tube fed blood through veins in the spine which circulated the blood throughout the body. The flesh was barely starting to regenerate; it was the last organ to receive the repercussions of the nutrients and the blood.

Selene had spent the past hour explaining everything that has happened regarding the Covent of recent. He had insisted she done so while he rejuvenated and she was not at all surprised by Viktor's angry expression. It looked even viler since his flesh hadn't rejuvenated all the way, yet.

"Are you to tell me that you've brought these….things to our doors?" Viktor spoke slowly, articulating each and every word.

Selene cowered. She was dreading this moment. How was she supposed to justify what she had done? She couldn't have said it was all for Rigel's sake. That wasn't a good excuse and she knew that Viktor would not accept it. Viktor had raised her better than that.

"I don't know what compelled me; I wasn't thinking correctly, my Master." Selene said and it was the truth—she was sincere, she didn't realize how greatly this would have affected the coven. She didn't know that these estranged vampires would break the Ancient chain of order. This was all her fault and guilt overwhelmed her.

Viktor guffawed at her. He knew exactly what compelled her—he had her memories.  
She did it for Rigel's sake. But he couldn't be too angry at her, none of this was her fault.

"Come here, my child," Viktor summoned his adopted daughter towards her. He looked down at her pale face, her blue eyes and dark hair reminded him too much of his past. It pained him to look at her but he could not glance away. He had to constantly accept his bitter reality.

"Yes, my Lord?" Selene whispered, coming close to Viktor. It felt good to walk close to him, she had missed him in the years of his slumber. She was, in many ways, isolated. He was the closest being to her, he knew everything about her. He had raised her, he had been there through her growth and he had taught her everything she needed to know about dealing with the beasts. It was once she was a successful Death dealer that his time had ended and Amelia's time began. Though Amelia was a figure Selene looked up to, she was nowhere near as close to her as she had been to Viktor.

"Tell me about them," Viktor said slowly, "these creatures that have caused such uproar."

Selene didn't know what to say. She didn't know a lot about them, herself. She had only captured them, Kahn was the medical expert. "They're susceptible to the UV Bullets…."

Viktor turned his head so fast at the mention of UV Bullets that it startled Selene and then she remembered: the beasts hadn't discovered the technology until long after Viktor's slumber. "The beasts, they've manipulated a bullet to hold Ultra Violet Radiation. Once such a bullet is pierced through the skin, it ejects the radiation which travels through the body breaking down our…"

"Yes, yes," Viktor said, waving his arm to motion for Selene to continue to the point.

"I had Kahn manipulate a dosage of one tenth the original potency. Theoretically, this amount would have knocked a vampire unconscious."

Viktor cocked his head in curiosity and Selene knew from his expression exactly what he was thinking. The bullets could have either killed the vampires or not have been strong enough.

"I was taking a risk…" Selene admitted.

"Yes," Viktor said very slowly and it prompted Selene to continue.

"They do not appear to have the same physical body forms as we do. Their eyes are much different, they have shades that we have never seen before…"

"And what of Amelia?" Viktor said, cutting off Selene's explanation.

He had a very valid point. Amelia was the only vampire within the Coven, the only vampire known, to have green eyes. Selene always assumed it was because she was an elder, the third vampire turned. No one ever questioned her eyes, it was not their place, but Selene knew that Viktor was dismissing her speculations on eye-color because Amelia was an example of how vampires could have different shades.

However, Selene couldn't easily dismiss it. Amelia was the only vampire in the Coven who had green eyes, everyone else had blue eyes. She was a mutation. However, the two beings she had captured, between them they had two entirely different shades. What does this say about red-eyed vampire and the honey brown-eyed vampire? It was hard to accept it being all as a coincidence; Selene's mind didn't work like that.

"One of them had red eyes, the other auburn," Selene began, "the colors are so drastically different from the blue we wear, or the green. And their teeth are different, much smaller and they lack the canines." Selene flashed her teeth quickly to Viktor as if making a visual point would somehow strengthen her argument.

Viktor sat there and placed his chin gently on his hand. Selene allowed him several moments of thoughts and she took the time to regain her own. She was simply trying to absorb it all. They were a mystery and solving it seemed impossible without the results of Kahn's medical tests.

"And what is being done….?" Viktor whispered, articulating every word.

"Kahn is administering tests. The blood work will allow for a genetic screening. I was going to assist but Amelia sent me…"

Viktor looked up at her from the mention of her name.

"Send her to me," Viktor breathed heavily as he spoke louder, "And you will not return to me until the results have come."

"Yes, my Lord," Selene said, bowing graciously towards Viktor before turning to leave.

* * *

Kahn shoved the vile against Alice's convulsing lips; he held her neck and constricted her head from moving with his fingers. He stood their impatiently, waiting as the B positive vile of blood emptied in to her mouth. This was the only thing he could think of. He hadn't finished running the blood work and didn't know what it was that was causing her to convulse. His first guess was a lack of blood flow within her body system, since she hadn't fed once during her stay there and Kahn wasn't sure when she had fed prior to her capture.

As the vile emptied, Kahn saw that Alice was beginning to calm down. The machine indicated that she was stabilizing and Kahn released his grip on her. The vile was good enough for about an hour but he knew that if she fed in any way similar to them, she would need to feed off a human soon. Without receiving their genetic coding, just from what he just saw regarding the effects of the Vile of B positive—Alice was a vampire who needed blood in order to exist. She was certainly a vampire, although a very unique one and Kahn noted that he needs to finish running the tests to fully understand her and the second one.

"She's stabilized," Kahn said, turning to Amelia who nodded approvingly at him.

"Keep her stabilized," Amelia began, "when will the results be available?"

Kahn shrugged as he walked around to his lab desk, retrieving a tool from the top drawer. "I should expect them within the next half hour…."

"This one's waking," Amelia called while walking slowly towards the smaller of the two. She watched in awe as the little child opened her eyes, revealing crimson so deep that it reminded Amelia of the blood she nourishes on every day.

"ALICE!" Jane called, screaming.

Selene walked in to the lab to find Amelia watching the small creature, Kahn at his desk rustling through papers, and the larger creature tossing her head slowly to the side. It would have made her smile to see such a scene if the seriousness of the subject wasn't so severe. After all, she had _just_ come back from seeing Viktor.

"Where's Alice?!" Selene heard the smaller creature yell. She must have still been blind, an apparent side effect from exposure of the UV Radiation.

"Calm yourself, we have not harmed your friend," Amelia said quietly and then turned to face Selene with an unreadable expression on her face.

"He wishes to see you, my lady." Selene said as graciously as she could muster.

Amelia merely nodded. "The both of them will be fed by the time I return," Amelia stated, looking severely into Kahn's eyes. Kahn nodded in understanding and watched as Amelia exited out the door.

Kahn looked up at Selene with a pleading expression on his face.

Selene stood there for several moments, comprehending what Kahn was asking her to do and walked right out the door again, being assigned yet another task.

Jane heard footsteps walking away. It seemed like whoever had been in the room had suddenly left. She was relieved and hoped that there was no one else until she heard a noise, sounded like papers, and to her dismay, there was still another in the room.

"Have you regained your vision?" A male's voice called out. Jane assumed he was talking to her since she couldn't see anything at all. Only for the purposes of finding out why she couldn't see and possible fixing this problem, she replied: "Why can't I see?"

"You should regain your plain of sight in a few moments, try and relax."

It was an ambiguous reply and Jane was becoming very angry and frustrated. She was strapped to something and couldn't get out. She hadn't fed in days and the lack of fresh blood, lack of nutrients, had resulted in her weakening state. If she had been nourished, escaping such constraints would have been a piece of cake. Whoever was holding her captive must have known her weakness.

Suddenly Jane heard mumbles—it sounded like Alice! Jane listened closely as she heard footsteps and then heard random noises, but between them she heard soft mumbles.

"What do you feed on?" the voice called out to Jane but she ignored the question. She was too focused on Alice. She was trying to figure out where Alice was, in respects to Jane. She heard a sound mimicking a body falling to the floor and it seemed like Alice had ceased mumbling.

"From what I've discovered of your anatomy and physiology, you and your friend survive on blood. In that respect, you are no different from us."

Jane growled at the word "us" and finally lashed out with all the anger she felt boiling within: "You are NOT like us, you are vile beings who have caused distress…"

"Calm yourself," Kahn stated, "I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to help you…"

Jane was laughing deliriously, "You have blinded and robbed our freedoms. You are very misguided to think you've done _anything_ to help us," Jane said in between laughs.

As she laughed, she began to see faint spots of color forming, which only caused her to laugh harder. She sounded like a maniac, but she couldn't contain herself. She was overwhelmed with it all and her release in those moments deemed necessary. As she continued to laugh, tears were forming in her eyes which blurred her new gained vision. Several moments passed before she looked forward and she could see the blurred vision come in to focus, finally seeing the man standing before her, clearly the one she had been conversing with.

"You've regained your vision," he said, glaring at her through familiar blue eyes, the same blue eyes that the stranger wore in an earlier encounter.

"Just in time…" He said while looking at Jane but it was clearly directed towards another figure that walked in, dragging with her…a human.

Jane couldn't help but lick her lips; she could sense the live blood flowing within the human's body. It was so fresh, so temping, and she was so very hungry. Jane looked on wildly at the human and then back at the figure before her.

"Hungry?"

He was taunting her and she glared at him intensely. Nothing happened, she wasn't expecting it to but still, she gave it a go.

Kahn began removing the straps that held down Jane's feet, while at the same time placing a metal chained device that constrained them. Jane didn't have enough energy to resist and just watched as he applied the same method to her hands. She was free from the constraints only to find herself in chains. The strange man guided her to a large cage where Jane saw Alice lying on the floor. Before Jane could call her name out, she was tossed in to the cage next to Alice, landing hard on her knees. The sound seemed to have startled Alice who turned slowly to face Jane and what she saw terrified her to her core.

Blood-red eyes looked up at her and Alice wore a malicious smile on her face. Jane was at a loss of words and before she could respond, before she could do anything, the human was tossed in to the cage with them, constrained in the same constraints as Jane. Helpless to defend herself, the human cried out in great fear.

Jane watched in horror as her beloved Alice leaped upon the human and crammed her teeth in to the human's neck, sucking the blood that flowed from the punctured wound.

* * *


	12. Chapter 12: Visitors

**A/N: Apologies for the lateness in updating. My hiatus was to concentrate on school but now that I'm on winter break, I plan to update regularly.**

**Chapter 12: Visitors  
**

Viktor watched as Amelia walked through the large doors. She was just as he had remembered her from long past centuries, unchanged, walking in the same grace and manner as she always had, carrying the same look on her face as she had worn all those years ago…

"You sent Selene to perform the awakening?"

"Would you have rather I sent Kraven?" Amelia asked, flashing him a smirk.

Viktor grunted to himself. Things never changed with her.

"Besides, I would have thought you pleased to have your _daughter _at your side through your regeneration," Amelia said, coyly.

Viktor's face dramatically changed from hearing Amelia's emphasis on the word daughter. It appeared that her statement had left him speechless. It allowed for Amelia to come closer to him, all the while not taking her eyes of his. He stood there motionless as the memories flooded him. Amelia cocked her head as she watched his expressions change on his face.

"Is that why you sent her," Viktor began, "you are still angry with me?"

Amelia looked away. Anger was starting to grow within her. He was pushing her too far…

"You cannot be angry with me, still," Viktor began to raise his voice in defiance, "she broke the laws…"

Amelia turned around, her eyes widened in shock and her body convulsing as anger filled the entire of her. "Say HER NAME!" She screamed, the echoes bouncing off the walls.

Viktor looked at Amelia, her chest was heaving up and down. He didn't want to have faced her, like this. He didn't want to have to see her reactions to what happened long ago. The set schedules of ruler ship allowed for him to have never faced her, until now…

"Sonja broke coven laws…" Viktor said, slowly, before being cut off by a loud scream.

"ENOUGH!" Amelia screamed it out, her emotions getting the better of her. "You killed her, you murdered MY daughter!" The tears were beginning to stream down uncontrollably and Amelia turned away. She couldn't look at him, any longer. Viktor stood there, unable to move or even react. He couldn't approach her; his regeneration tubes attached to the machines restricted his movements. He was helpless to her mercy.

"Amelie," Viktor said as quietly as he could. He could not see her face, it was hidden in her hands and her back was facing him. He watched as she sobbed on, helpless to comfort her. Not that she would allow him; he knew this to be certain.

"Do you think I wanted to harm her? She was inbreeding with those BEASTS, the beasts that have plagued our prosperity with their existence. Would you have allowed OUR Daughter to deliver a BEAST for a CHILD?"

Amelia turned quickly to him at this utterance, tore off the chain that hung around her neck and tossed it to the ground before him.

The doors opened and Selene walked in to find the room very quiet. If she hadn't seen both Amelia and Viktor, she would have thought no one was inside. She heard Amelia whisper "your daughter is here for you." Selene knew the statement was to Viktor and she watched as Amelia walked out of the room. Amelia didn't even look at Selene as she walked past her, but Selene was too preoccupied by Viktor's facial expression to notice. It was clear to Selene that he was very angry. She watched as he bent down to pick up a pendent. Selene recognized it as being Amelia's pendant.

"I apologize if I interrupted," Selene said while bowing on one knee.

"No," Viktor cut her off and paused before continuing, "You did not interrupt anything, my child. What news do you have of these creatures?"

Selene stood up before beginning her report. "It appears that they display genetic sequences that are similar, yet different, from ours. Their DNA is far from human and Lycan, alike. We are the closest, genetically, to them…"

Viktor looked up at the last utterance. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"They display an anomaly within the genes, however. It appears that their skin contains proteins that are resilient to large amounts of Ultra Violet Radiation. However, when injected with UV, they react in the same manner as our kin. Their anatomy and physiology is much different from our own, they do not display the same strength or agility as we possess, it appears that the genetic anomaly has not allowed for their full potential in growth. Also, they lack the large canines that we wear and their teeth are generally smaller than our own. Biting in to skin appears a more difficult task for them…"

Selene paused before adding, "As for the eyes. It appears that their shade differs with regards to the type of blood consumed, as well as if they are nourished or in need of nourishment. The one who came in with Auburn eyes was given human blood and her eyes changed to the same shade as the second. According to what one has told Kahn, they are able to survive off animal blood and this choice in nourishment can be reflected physically."

Viktor sat there motionless. He cocked his head in anger and Selene immediately recognized the expression. She had seen it before every time he discussed the Lycans. She knew just by his expression what he thought of these creatures. She waited patiently for any sort of reaction but Viktor stood there, motionless staring in to nothingness.

"My lord?..." Selene asked, hesitantly.

Viktor flashed her look, "Bring the creatures to me."  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It all happened so fast. Jane watched in complete horror as the human body fell limp to the floor. Alice, the golden-eyed "vegetarian" vampire, whose ethical existence wouldn't dare take a life of a human for nourishment purposes, had claimed the life of the young human girl by sucking her completely dry of blood. Jane tried to take it all in, to comprehend all that had happened within those short moments, but it was all too much and she was entirely overwhelmed with emotion battling her fatigue. Her knees buckled and she collapsed to the floor.

Alice turned around and knelt down aside Jane, her crimson eyes were burning with such a fiery passion that Jane had never seen before.

"I needed that," Alice moaned between gasps before learning down and planting a kiss on Jane's lips. "And now…I need you."

Jane laid on her back, staring up in to oblivion; unable to move as the newly revived Alice began to kiss her neck feverously. She had no strength in her to resist, she had no feeling, and she was beyond exhausted to even try. Her lack of nourishment, her inability to feed, her deranged lover, her current state of existence; all of it had left her empty.

She felt Alice 's kisses become harsher and Jane found herself in desperate need of blood. She needed Alice to help, she needed to get out of there, she had little left within her and if she didn't get to a human fast….

" Alice …" Jane could barely whisper it out.

But it didn't phase Alice , not one bit, and to Jane's great horror, Alice was still indulging in passionate activities while Jane laid there drying up as the minutes passed. Jane felt her eyes flutter to the back of her head, instinctive thoughts of blood and survival consumed her but she was far gone…far too gone…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
She felt it. Finally, she felt it. She felt it flow through her. Through her legs, her arms, her hands, her feet, her chest, her stomach, her mind…Life flowed through her. Consciousness came back to her. Confusion hit her at first; questions such as "who am I?" were suddenly replaced with "where am I?" Finally overcome by the realization of where she was and who she was, Jane opened her eyes to find the dark man pouring blood from a medical bag in to her propped open mouth. Jane latched on to the bag, instinctively, as if to ensure that he wouldn't take it away. She wasn't even close to being done and she wanted as much as she can get.. She didn't know what was going to happen.

He let go of the bag, took a step away and watched her drink it's contents before chuckling at the sight. She looked like she had never eaten in her life.

"Why didn't you feed off the human we provided? Was it not to your liking?"

Jane stared at him as she continued to drink the bag's contents. There was no way she was about to stop drinking just to answer him. His questions were trivial and of little meaning to her, in contrast to the blood that flowed past her lips, which was the most important thing to her in that very moment.

"Your little friend didn't mind helping herself, did she? She was quite rambunctious, that one."

Jane continued to eye him as the bag began to empty itself in to her. She didn't like him, not one bit; he was far too arrogant.

"Although would you call her a friend? She seemed to be rather friendly with you moments ago…"

All of the blood was gone from the bag. Jane tossed it aside, angrily, and ran up with such swiftness that she had forgotten she could even be so fast.. Half shocked that the man hadn't moved one muscle and with all her might, she pushed him; only to find him hardly fumble from her physical contact. Anger consumed Jane at the apparent lack of results. _What the hell was it that they couldn't be harmed?_

"Temper, temper…" Kahn said between laughs as he arched his back in pride, towering over the teenager-sized vampire. "You really should learn to control it, you know…" He passed her another medical blood bag and watched with a smug expression on his face as she snatched it from his grasp.

Jane opened it with eagerness and drank its contents. This time, Kahn busied himself with the artifacts on his desk, organizing while he put them away. He waited until she was finished with the bag before he spoke, again.

"Full?"

Jane nodded. She was somewhat grateful, but it didn't change how she felt about him: he was still a bastard and she still didn't like him.

"So, Jane…"

She cut him off before he could continue, "How do you know my name?"

"Your friend, Alice ," Kahn began, "she couldn't stop screaming it, earlier."

Jane clenched her fists together and Kahn smiled in deep satisfaction. He rather enjoyed arousing a reaction out of her—it was all too easy, now that he knew her weakness.

"And don't bother trying to fight me _again,_" Kahn ridiculed, "you'll only hurt yourself."

Now that he understood their anatomy and physiology, it was far too pleasurable for Kahn to entice these weaker beings. He grunted to himself—Viktor was right they _were_ the superior species. First, to the humans, then the Lycan beasts and now these pathetic excuses for vampires.

Kahn closed his eyes and beamed to himself—how he prided to be exactly what he was. He allowed for a moment to himself, to simply enjoy his existence, before he opened his eyes and looked at the small being before him. Tears streaked her delicate face. She really was pathetic.

"Come," Kahn began, "I'm to bring you to your darling Alice…"

Kahn guided Jane down the corridors. He was a bit surprised that she didn't resist. Her obedience was remarkable improvement from her display of behaviors earlier. It seemed as if she had finally learned her place.

As the came nearer, the large doors opened revealing Viktor's chamber and Kahn nodded graciously towards the elder sitting in the back.

"And this…" Viktor spoke slowly, "is the other one?"

"Yes," Kahn began, "her revival was swift."

Viktor grunted and Jane looked up at him. At first, she was shocked to see a corpse-like being attached to tubes filled with…._blood_. And not just any blood, no. Jane's mouth watered uncontrollably as she smelled the most luscious and delicious blood she has even encountered in her years of existence. Jane had to force her eyes away from the blood. How she desperately wanted to drink it—_it was so mouth watering, _she almost couldn't contain herself. _Calm yourself, Jane, you fed just moments ago._

As Jane looked around the room, her eyes fell upon a figure standing incredibly close to the chair where the corpse being sat. It was Alice. She was gazing at Jane but it was an empty stare.

Viktor followed Jane's gaze and grinned. "Ah, yes. Dear Alice has been informing me of your….unique existence," he taunted, "You lead very trivial lives, living amongst humans and doing nothing with your time."

Jane couldn't concentrate on what he was saying—she was completely transfixed on Alice.

"Your…talents," he continued, "will be a great asset to our cause."

"Alice…" Jane could only whisper it out. But it didn't phase her because she continued to stand aside the corpse, unwavering and unfaltering. It was as if Alice was ignoring Jane—or rather, that Jane didn't even exist within the room. This frightened her—_What have they done to her?_

Suddenly, a vampire walked in the room with great urgency. "My Lord."

Jane watched in both admiration and confusion as the intruder bowed before the corpse. It was clear that he held a high amount of prestige.

"There appear to be…visitors at the gate," he said.

Viktor looked from Kraven to Alice, who closed her eyes in deep concentration. Jane knew the face all too well and before she could do anything, Alice's eyes shot open wildly and she turned to Viktor before uttering: "Yes, they're coming."

Jane couldn't believe what was happening, "Alice, what are you doing?"

"You are free to go," Viktor began, seemingly pleased with himself, "if you'd like. Or you are more than welcome to stay…"

Jane didn't like the way he uttered the phrase. The tone in his voice indexed that he meant otherwise.

"Alice.." Jane whispered cautiously, "Alice…please…Let's go home…"

Alice turned to her, crimson eyes burning with such fiery passion.

"I am home."


	13. Chapter 13: Encounter

**A/N: For my fave.  
**

**Chapter 13: Encounter**

"I am home."

The words echoed in Jane's mind but she couldn't grasp their meaning. Time seemed to stop for her as she allowed the endless moments to engulf her pain. Confusion overwhelmed her. She didn't understand and she found herself desperately wanting, desperately needing, answers.

"What…what are you saying," Jane chocked out the words. All of this was unreal—it had to be. How was it that Alice was calling this cruel and vile place home? Her home was with the Cullens—with Carlisle. This wasn't Alice. It couldn't be her.

"You're not yourself," Jane uttered. She no longer cared about the others within the room. All her attention, her entire focus, was on Alice. She watched as Alice moved  
feely at the statement, cocking her head back and smiling mischievously as she bellowed a half-hearted laugh. Her eyebrow was hitched proudly and it made Jane feel extremely vulnerable.

"Aren't I?" Alice roared.

Subtle laughter erupted around the chamber. Jane looked around at the blue eyes and pale faces, they were all laughing at her. Never in her entire existence had she ever felt as weak and pathetic as she did at that moment. Clearly, she was the only out-group member in a party where the in-group members prided themselves as being exclusive. Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected Alice to be the in crowd amongst such new and strange company.

"Enough with your childish inquiries," Viktor's voice echoed off the walls. "Kraven, bring the others to me."

"Yes, my Lord." Kraven said as he exited the chamber.

Jane stood quietly. They were here—all of them, she could sense their presence. Relief washed over her. They were here to save her, to save Alice. All of this was going to be over soon and anxiety overwhelmed Jane.

"My Lord," Selene stepped to Viktor's side, "Shall I summon Amelia?"

Viktor looked softly in to Selene's eyes at her consideration for the second elder. "No, my child. I will deal with these…guests of ours. Stay at my side, I may need you whence we are through…"

Selene looked at him, curiosity etched all over her face. She wondered to herself what he had in store for her. The thought of being a death dealer to both the Lycans and these creatures crossed her mind—is this what Viktor would want? A war against these half-breeds? It would be all too easy, if Alice and Jane were an example of their capabilities.

Selene didn't have long to dwell on such thoughts for within moments the chamber doors opened revealing seven half-breeds surrounded by a dozen death dealers. Selene glowered in pride at the sight. These guests were completely at their mercy.

At their entrance, Jane immediately ran to the side of her Volturi brethren. When she spotted her brother, she embraced him and held him within her grasp for several endless moments. She had never been so relieved to see him, nor had she ever been so comforted to be within his grasps. She heard him utter her name but she couldn't find the words to respond—they were deep within her throat fighting back the tears. Jane felt a hand on her back soothing her and she knew it was Aro when she heard him cooing, "there, there, my dear." Jane felt Aro cup the side of her face—transferring all of her memories of recent events to him. Tears fell uncontrollably down her face and she could no longer hold her sobs back.

It wasn't until Jane heard a familiar voice gasp the name Alice did she open her eyes. Rosalie, one of the female Cullen that Jane had met on a previous occasion, had uttered Alice's name in horror.

Alice stood loyally by Viktor's side and smiled devilishly up at Rosalie's reaction.

"What have you done to her?" Aro asked, enunciating every word. "What have you done to the both of them?"

Viktor smiled and cocked his head. "Done with them? They have been our guests."

"Aro…" Carlisle whispered, "remember why we're here…"

Aro looked back at Jane and then forward to Alice who stood with the enemies.

"Whatever it is that you want…it is between us," Aro began, "but release Alice and Jane."

"Let it be so," Viktor said as he motioned with his hands for the death dealers to allow the few to leave.

"Let's go home Alice…" Rosalie begged.

"No…" Alice sneered. Her reluctance startled them.

"Please, Alice…don't do this. Remember who you are…" Carlisle begged but it seemed that she was still reluctant.  
Jane watched as even the Cullens struggled against Alice. If the Cullens couldn't persuade their family member to go home, then she was a lost cause. Anger and hatred for this chamber filed Jane—she was done fighting for Alice. She couldn't bear being there a second longer. Her gaze fell upon Aro and he nodded understandingly.

"Carlisle," Aro whispered, all the while not taking his eyes off Jane, "will you send one to accompany their journey back."

Jane knew Aro wasn't about to send Alec and herself back to Volturi by themselves. Aro and Caius were the only remaining Volturi and they were the leaders, or at least two of the central leaders, of her world. They both needed to be there with Carlisle to negotiate with Viktor.

"Rosalie…"

Angered eyes darted to Carlisle. Jane could tell immediately that she loathed the task, especially under such circumstances.

"But…" Rosalie began to counter Carlisle.

"No, you need to do this." Carlisle finalized.

Viktor chuckled aloud—watching them interact was far too amusing. They were more pathetic that he could have ever imagined.

"Enough," Viktor's voice rang in the chamber, silencing everyone within. "Are you the leader of your Coven?"

Viktor was clearly indexing Aro, who stepped forward at the statement. "I am one of them, yes," He said as he motioned for both Carlisle and Caius to step forward. "As are they."

Viktor turned to Selene, "I have no use for the rest…"

Selene understood her task within that gesture. She quickly upholstered her gun and made her first shot at Alice, who in mere moments collapsed to the ground. The gesture caused a sort of uproar amongst the remaining guests but the death dealers were quicker. Selene smiled to herself as the remaining three standing were chained in the UV cuffs, unable to move. One motion from Selene and the motionless bodies were removed from the chamber. Despair was stricken across the three leaders' faces as they stared on helplessly.

"Kahn will accompany you," Viktor said as he glanced between the three before him, "You will return swiftly."

Selene nodded, she knew it wasn't a question.

Within moments, Kahn and Selene were walking side by side out of the chamber leaving Viktor to discuss his plans for the new species. Selene was a bit relieved to have been assigned a task, she hated political discussions and would rather be working in the field than dealing with Coven laws within the chamber. All of this recent dealings with the species has made her hungry for action and she desperately hoped that in her journey to return the five knocked out bodies to Volterra, she would somehow encounter Lycans. Selene rolled her eyes to the thought, of course they wouldn't be in Italy. No. If anything, they would be in Romania. The probability of running in to the beasts was slim to none—but she could still fantasize.

"What are you thinking?" Kahn asked. He had noticed that she seemed to have dozed off.

"That we need to stop wasting our time and hung us some beasts…"

They both smiled at each other in approval.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is both scattered and short. Next will be both clearer and longer.**


	14. Chapter 14: Night Vampires

**A/N: For my Fave, for your constant patience and encouragement to finish what I start :)**

**Chapter 14: Night Vampires**

"Then you understand what is required of you?" Viktor asked, standing tall within the chamber. The tubes that were feeding blood to his corpse was on their last bags of AB blood; his regeneration was almost complete.

"We understand completely," Aro responded and bowed graciously. Caius and Carlisle both followed Aro's example and bowed in agreement.

"Very well," Viktor began, "Let it be so."

* * *

3 Days Later….

Alice opened her eyes to find Rosalie standing over her. Confusion overwhelmed her. She sat up and looked around. She was in her room in Forks. _How did I get here? Where is Jane? Where is Carlisle? _The last memories Alice could remember involved both herself and Jane locked away in an unknown place, held captive by unknown creatures.

"Are you okay?" Rosalie asked eagerly. "Do you need to feed? We have a deer tied up outside, if you do…" She leaned in to brush away loose strands of hair from Alice's face.

"Wha…what happened?" Alice asked, still half dazed. She was probing her mind for answers but it was blank. _What is wrong with me? Why can't I remember anything?_

Edward was within the room at the end of her last thought. Alice was a bit relieved to see him after so long and she gestured for him to come closer. When he was in reach, Alice wrapped her slender arms around his neck and held him close. How she missed him, the closeness that they have, the friendship, the bond, how she missed everything about him. She needed him right now, above all. She needed him to probe her mind for thoughts that she can't access.

"You won't like hearing what I have…what we have to tell you," Edward corrected himself as he looked at Rosalie. He knew that she had wanted to been the one to tell Alice all that had happened but he knew Alice a bit more intimately than Rosalie did. Edward knew that Alice would want Edward there to better detail the story about Jane because he knew from Jane's thoughts in the chamber that they had become intimate over the trip. He had also been able to read Alice's thoughts within the chamber, too, and she needs to know exactly what was going on in her mind when she had lost control.

Alice looked between the two of them and by the expressions on their faces, she knew exactly that happened. "They…"

"Yes, they fed you human blood." Rosalie looked up at her, grasping for her hand in support.  
"I don't think they knew," Edward began cautiously, "your diet restrictions…"

Alice sat there, unable to formulate words. Several emotions were overwhelming her. She was firstly embarrassed because she knew that however she acted while under the effects, she was not herself. She suddenly became angry with herself, angry that she couldn't remember. She couldn't _remember…_

Human blood to Alice, in many respects, was like Dr. Jekyll's secret potion that transforms him to Mr. Hyde. The moment the potion touches Jekyll's lips; he begins his immediate transformation in to a monstrous and immoral being. Jekyll has no control of Hyde and has no recollection of events that is experienced while he is Mr. Hyde. Thus, a split personality is formed and there is an extreme one eighty-degree difference between the personalities. The same can be said for Alice and she knew this. She had remembered stories that others had told her of how she acted when she consumed human blood. It was like a drug, it was like the potion; it changed her drastically and she cannot contain herself. Once she had human blood, she thirsts for more and will do whatever is in her power to possess it. She killed ruthlessly before, slaughtering even children. Tears began to fall down her face as she began to recollect the past. Her past was the reason why she came to the Cullens, why she sought Carlisle's help to transition in to the lifestyle that she preferred. She didn't want to be a Monster. She didn't want to be Mr. Hyde. She wanted to be herself, her happy self, and her natural Jekyll state.

Alice's thoughts transitioned to Jane… "Oh fuck…"

Edward knew exactly why she uttered the crude statement. He heard her thoughts and knew exactly what she was thinking. Alice had been under an altered State Of Mind for the duration of her imprisonment by these night Vampires. Albeit, it wasn't entirely their fault that they fed her human blood because they didn't know any better. They didn't know that Alice has a special diet for a reason. Edward had found this out the day in the chamber when he had read one of the night Vampire's thoughts. However, Edward understood the emotions that were running through Alice because he understood that he had affections for Jane. He knew this, when Rosalie didn't.

"What's wrong?" Rosalie asked, gripping Alice. "Are you okay?"

"Rosalie…" Alice began, "can you please retrieve me that deer? I'm not feeling well…"

"Of course…" Rosalie said as she got up and quickly left the room.

Once she was out, Alice pulled Edward so close to her that she knew she was invading his personal space but she didn't care—she needed to find out exactly what happened within the chamber and most importantly, she needed to find out all that he knew about Jane and her well-being and since Rosalie didn't know, nor was Alice interesting in spilling her sexuality to her now, she couldn't talk about it in front of her.

"She didn't know either," Edward said.

"Fuck…" It was all that she could say.

"She was emotionally distraught when we arrived. It appeared you had been arguing with her about leaving before we arrived. She seemed to have urged you on to leave with her and you were persistent in staying…" Edward paused to hear if Rosalie was close and when he heard her still downstairs he continued, "She didn't understand why you persisted to stay. Over all she was entirely confused and all her efforts with you exasperated her. Right before we were hit with their UV bullets…"

Alice looked confused at the mention of such bullets and Edward continued on, "I'll have Rosalie explain…but right before…the end…she seemed just drained and fed up with…"

"With me…" Alice finished his sentence. Edward didn't have the heart to finish it and when he heard her utter that, his heart went out for her.

Rosalie walked in at that moment carrying the deer. From the looks of it, she had the courtesy to slay it downstairs. "I thought you might be too weak to kill it," Rosalie said as she passed the limp animal to Alice, who grasped it graciously and began sucking out the gaping hole that Rosalie made from the stab wound. It was such a cruel way to kill the animal but Alice had more important matters on her mind than to lecture Rosalie on better methods of slaying animals.

"Where…are the Volturi now?" Alice asked, "Where's Jane?"

Edward looked at Rosalie and they both sort of stood there, unsure of how to answer. "We're not really sure. Carlisle hasn't come back yet. He's in Volturi, safe, so no need to worry," Rosalie clarified because at the mentioned that Carlisle hadn't come back, Alice had shot up a worried look. "You see, these night vampires…"

Alice stopped sucking on the deer for a second to ask, "What's with this term night vampires?"

"Well…" Rosalie looked to Edward for help. It was clear to him that she couldn't explain this part, not that he could either. Carlisle had called two days ago when he arrived back in Volterra to notify them of the conditions of the pact that they made with Viktor. He had tried to explain, to the best of his ability, the difference between the two species of vampires…

"These vampires," Edward began, stepping up where Rosalie couldn't explain, "they're very different from us. You noticed this, I'm sure, when you were amongst them. There is a different genetic make up between us, which we are now being referred to as the Day Vampires, because of our ability to be exposed to the sunlight and exist. Apparently, these other species of vampires cannot walk out in to the sun without dire consequences to them…"

"What happens?" Alice asked, curiously.

"I'm not too sure," Edward admitted, "Carlisle didn't really go in to a lot of detail. All he said was that they cannot properly survive under large exposures of sunlight and thus, can only come out at night, which is why they've been coined the Night Vampires. However, they're much stronger than us. Their display of strength within the chamber was astounding, I've never seen one of our kind as swift or as strong as them. A reason this seems to be is our genetic make up. We don't seem to be as fit for…warfare as they are."

"Which brings me to a very important point," Edward began, "We're at War now."

Alice couldn't believe her ears. "WHAT?" She couldn't help but scream it, she was utterly shocked at what she had just heard. _At war? Over what?_

"Well, we're not exactly at war… It's sort of complicated…" Edward was now looking at Rosalie to explain.

"The Night Vampires are fighting werewolves," Rosalie began, "they've supposedly been fighting with them for centuries and they want us to help them. Since they can't fight in the day, they want our kind to help them in this war. This is the pact that Carlisle, Caius, and Aro made with Viktor in the chamber…"

"But what about our pact with the Quileute tribe?" Alice asked, finishing up the deer and setting it within a large plastic garbage bag to be disposed of later.

"Carlisle didn't really go in to that…but apparently, these werewolves are…different." Rosalie shrugged at the last word.

"How?" Alice felt bad for persisting with the questions, but she wanted to be updated on everything.

"We don't know, we haven't seen them." Rosalie admitted.

Edward nodded in agreement, "But since the Night vampires have been at war with them for such a long time, they've developed complicated weaponry. On both sides, there seem to be very complex development with warfare technology because the UV bullets weren't the Night vampires' creations. Apparently, these werewolves have created a bullet that has such a large amount of UV radiation that whence it's inside these night vampires, they immediately die."

Alice's eyes were wide at the last word, "What about us?"

Edward didn't know what to say, "I don't know. The bullets they used, apparently had only 1/10th of the amount of UV and it had us knocked unconscious for over twenty-four hours. If a bullet ten times as strong as what we were shot with was inserted in to our system, I'm guessing it could kill us, too."

The realization just came to Alice. They _were _at war and they didn't have a choice about it. They were being dragged in to a War that they had nothing to do with, they were being forced to gamble their lives for what? _For what? _It just struck Alice that she didn't know the most important factor: why.

"Wait, why IS there a war?" Alice asked.

"We don't know," Edward began, "not even Carlisle or Aro knows. Viktor didn't really go in to the details about the War, apparently. It seems like their existence threatens him and his Coven."

It was all too much for Alice. Her thoughts immediately drifted to Jane. She needed to get to her, fuck these night vampires. She would deal with this new War later. She needed to explain, to clear it up, and to make amends to Jane. That was the number one priority in her mind.

"You need a ride?" Edward asked, in response to her thoughts.

"Wait, what?" Rosalie asked, confused.

"I need to go to Volterra," Alice filled Rosalie in on what Edward meant, "Yes. I need a ride to the airport…"

Edward nodded and got up to walk out the room before he turned around to ask one more final question: "Want me to book you your ticket?"

Alice smiled up at him in great appreciation and mouthed "Thank you." Edward winked down at her before exiting.

"Wait…what do you need to go to Volterra for?" Rosalie began asking a series of questions as Alice stood up from her bed and grabbed a large duffel suitcase from her closet and began packing her clothes.

Alice didn't answer as she threw a bundle of clothes to her suitcase. She then thought about it for a second longer and began browsing her closet for the nicest articles of clothing she owned. Might as well make amends with style.

Alice realized she hadn't responded to Rosalie began she glowered from the doorway of her closet down at her. "I need to clear a few things up with Jane." Alice said and looked up at her. Rosalie looked confusingly down at Alice and she followed her gaze to the lingerie that she held in her hand.

Alice laughed awkwardly, "I like to dress sexy…when I travel…"

Rosalie gawked, "Are you vacationing there, or what?"

"No" Alice admitted honestly. "If I were to vacation, it wouldn't be to Volterra."

The second utterance was a lie.


	15. Chapter 15: Friendlier

**A/N: For my Fave. **

**Chapter 15: Friendlier **

Alice stepped on the gas of a yellow Ferrari. She had stolen it at the airport from some rich Italian fashion designer who wasn't quick enough to lock his car. Faster before he knew what was going on, she had the keys in her hands and was backing out the car before he could utter words to stop her. Not that she would have listened. She doesn't care, she would return it to authorities later, who would deliver the car back to him safe and unharmed. She was pushing 140mph, passing by cars and trucks on the two-way highway. She couldn't promise it would be unscratched, though, she thought to herself as she grinned.

Within the distance, she saw the first glimpse of Volterra. The large hill that housed the medieval architecture-filled city was within several miles and Alice rolled down the window in anticipation. She couldn't wait to be in Jane's presence. The thought of being moments away from Jane caused her to floor her gas, pressing past 150mph. The car was beginning to wobble and Alice eased off the gas a little, maybe she shouldn't push the car too far, she thought to herself.

Within ten minutes, Alice was driving the car up the winding road of the hill. She watched as the view became better as she continued to elevate higher and higher with the car. Bob Marley's Three Little Birds began playing on the local radio station and Alice turned up the song. _Don't worry about a thing cause every lil thing's gunna be alright.  
_Somehow, the lyrics prompted her to speed the car. It gave her a weary feeling. She might have even had a vision at that moment, except that her emotions were running all over the place. She couldn't see visions properly when her emotions were all haywire like that because when her mind wasn't at peace, it couldn't receive visions. She was both excited and anxious to be with Jane again, scared about what to say, afraid of Jane's reaction, amongst other emotions. It was for these scattered emotions that she hadn't received a vision since waking up from her…nap.

She had reached the gates and sped through them, slowing as pedestrians crossed the roads within the gates at ease. She pulled in to an alley and parked the car in a random location that seemed deserted enough to allow for parking. She got out of the car and sat for a few moments, searching the area with her mind and senses. She couldn't feel Jane anywhere close. She must be within the Volturi chamber, deep underground. Alice didn't doubt it as she looked up and found the sun high in the sky.

She quickly made her way to the Volturi tunnel that grants them access to their underground chambers. Within mere seconds, Alice was passing by their assistant who seemed to call after her asking her who her business was with. Alice didn't have time to deal with her, she didn't have the patience at that moment. Within seconds, Carlisle's presence became clear to her, along with Aro. She was close she could smell them.

She passed through the large double doors that separated her from the Volturi and more importantly, separated her from Jane. Once opening it, all the eyes within the chamber fell down upon her. She searched the faces, pinpointing every single member of the Volturi except for Jane. Alice searched inside her and found that she couldn't sense her. Jane wasn't there. Jane wasn't…anywhere.

"Alice?" Carlisle approached her, cupping her face in his hand and looking deep in her eyes just to double check. "Are you alright?" He was trying to look at her but she was busy searching the room again. Searching the vast faces of the Volturi for Jane but she wasn't there.

"Yes, yes, I'm alright," Alice answered Carlisle after several moments. "I'm here for…"

Alice couldn't finish her sentence. The bitter taste of disappointment had caught her tongue but Carlisle didn't need to hear the name, he knew exactly who she was here for.

"I'm sorry, but she's not here…" Carlisle said, even though he knew from her sunken face that Alice already knew this.

"Dear Alice!" Aro bellowed as he approached her, "Welcome back! What brings you to Volterra, dear one?"

"She's here to ensure Jane's well being," Carlisle began, explaining on Alice's behalf, "she was worried after all that had happened."

"Ah, yes." Aro began, his tone shifting to a sad tone, "I'm afraid she's gone to find peace with herself. She was deeply troubled by the whole experience. But I am so happy to find that you, yourself, are better." Aro smiled down at her as he clasped his hands together.

Alice tried to force out a smile but so many questions were filling her mind. She didn't know where to begin until her eye caught Alec. He motioned for her to follow him. It was a subtle one and if she hadn't made eye contact with him, she wouldn't have seen it. Alec had exited the chamber and Alice decided to wait a few more moments before following him.

"I'm going to find better parking," Alice lied and smiled, excusing herself after both Carlisle and Aro nodded.

Once outside the chamber, she quickened her pace and followed Alec's scent to the tallest tower within the city. It was the same tower that her and Jane had their romantic exchanges and rendezvous at before. The memories flooded her but she forced to concentrate on the here and now.

"Please, Alec. I need to speak to Jane, do you know where I can find her?" Alice was practically begging, it was unlike her but she was desperate.

"You hurt her, you know." Alec said, his back turned to her. Alice couldn't see the expression on his face but she knew from his tone of voice that he was angry.

"I know, I'm sorry, it wasn't my fault." Alice began but he cut her off when he turned swiftly, his face was contorted with such anger that it shocked Alice.

"Then who's fault was it? HERS?" He screamed the last word. It was so shocking and Alice didn't know what to do at that moment. "You came here and corrupted her. It's your entire fault that they took her and it's your fault that she's gone! Every time I glanced at my sister, she was crying. She couldn't STOP CRYING!! You broke her! You really broke her good," Alec was heaving as he yelled and accused Alice.

Alice's knees buckled, she couldn't keep her balance anymore. His words painted a clear picture of how Jane felt from what she had done. She collapsed on the ground and hit her knees hard on the concrete floor. Tears began to form in her eyes but her expression was dazed. She pictured it all, the long hours of Jane crying on her bed and her only comfort was her brother. Jane had no one except for Alec where as Alice; she had her whole Cullen family. She had all the support she needed, even if she came out of the closet. Not Jane, she only had Alec and her duties at the Volturi. Tears were falling uncontrollably and Alice was feeling the sobs begin. She didn't know what to say to Alec, she was beyond sorry and she didn't know how to express the regret and aching she was feeling at that moment. She couldn't show her face, she was so ashamed and covered her tear streaked face with her hands, sobbing in her grasp.

Alec looked on at her pathetically and knew from her reaction that she was wholesomely sorry. He didn't know her excuses nor did her care. He knew that she didn't deserve Jane, from the way that she treated her. But something softened his heart and he began to walk past her, stopping momentarily at her side to say "You don't deserve to know this, but this is for her sake and not yours….She's in Cairo."

With that, he left Alice to herself.

* * *

Jacob Black drove Bella's red truck from La Push with the intention of taking her home for the evening. The Red truck used to belong to his family and he wanted to drive it for the sake of old times and since she didn't object, he was now in the drivers seat shifting the gears as the car drove through the winding roads between La Push and Forks.

"I really had a good time, Jake. Thanks for inviting me over and your dad makes a mean Lasagna," Bella began, "I honestly didn't think it would have been that good but damn." She said as she rubbed her stomach to index how full she was.

Jacob couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, he loves cooking. It's a hobby he picked up a few years back."

"I'm glad he did," Bella said, smiling.  
Jacob laughed and smiled back, "yeah, me too. Except when he's experimenting with recipes. Then it gets scary."

Bella laughed and they sat for a moment in silence before Bella ended it. "So, how did you learn to ride motorcycles?"

Bella was indexing the motorcycle that was tied safely in the back of the truck, which Jacob would be riding back after he dropped Bella off and picked up a few things from Chief Swan to bring back to his own father.

"Well, there's not a whole lot to do in La Push so you kind of pick up hobbies where you can. A few of the kids were in to dirt biking so I guess that's how I got introduced."

Bella nodded, "Cool. You've got to teach me, sometime."

"For sure," Jacob said as he pulled in to her driveway and parked the truck, pushing the gear in to first before turning the ignition off.

"I'll run in and get the stuff while you unpack your bike," Bella said.

"Oh thanks, yeah like I don't need help or nothing…" Jacob called back sarcastically and she gave him thumbs up before walking in to the house. Jacob could do it himself but he was hoping to show off his muscles for her as an audience. He settled for showing off to the birds and the bees that hummed at the setting sun.

By the time Bella had returned, the bike was completely off the bed of the truck and he was ready to leave. "Here you go, I guess it's a bunch of sports magazines."

Jacob laughed, "figures."

"Alright, well I'll see ya…" Bella said as she stood there, holding her hands in her pockets. Jacob couldn't help but look at her hips and found that he was staring and hadn't really said anything back to her. He laughed nervously and averted his eyes quickly, "yeah I'll see you. Thanks for coming out."

"Anytime, Jake, anytime."

Jacob found her enthusiasm touch a part of his heart that he didn't really know was there. She touched the life of him. He felt his cheeks going red and quickly put his helmet over it to cover his face, in case he was blushing. He was glad that he wasn't having such a reaction when they were hanging out. It was weird that he was having it now, he thought. Somehow, it was easy to say hello and incredibly hard for him to say goodbye. He started the engine and watched as she started walking in to the house.

He kicked up the metal leg of the bike and went on his way. The whole ride back to La Push was a fast one but the entire time his thoughts were on Bella. Why can't he get his mind off her? She didn't use to affect him like she was beginning to. _What was wrong with him? _

Jacob Black had arrived at his house and parked his bike by the garage. He took off his helmet and didn't have time to answer his own startling questions, for a man standing hidden in the trees whispered his name.

"Jacob Black"

He turned but didn't see anyone. He couldn't see anything in the dark shades of the trees. It was too dark now.

"Who's there?" he called out, fear building up immensely within him.

Jacob turned around to a complete stranger and felt teeth sink in to his neck.

**A/N If you haven't seen Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009), Underworld (2003), or Underworld: Evolution (2006); as the author of this story I really encourage you to check them out to understand the following chapters of my story. Both Underworld (2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006) can be found, full movies uploaded and all on YOU Tube. As for Rise of the Lycans, which is my personal favorite, I've been having hard times finding it online but if you can I would very much encourage you to watch this one, out of the three. It will give you perspective on the Night Vampires, as well as the Lycans and the War. **


	16. Chapter 16: Stalker

Chapter 16: Ignorance Stalker

Bella walked in to her AP Biology class with her mind entirely occupied. It had been three days and she hadn't heard from him, not even one measly phone call back. It was unlike Jacob to go so long without contacting Bella. They usually talked on the phone at least once a day and certainly chatted on the internet while they each did their homework. It was _their thing. _But he hadn't been online. He didn't answer her calls or return her texts. It was unlike him.

"Is something bothering you?"

Bella looked up at Edward who sat awkwardly at the other end of the lab desk. She hadn't noticed him when she walked in which was bizarre because he was usually the first person she noticed. Their exchanges in Biology were often intimate; he would inquire about her life and she would inquire about his. She knew what he liked: Debussy, hiking, and reading. She knew what he liked, sure, but she felt like she didn't know who he was, on the inside at least. Little matter, her exchanges with him in biology class had brought them closer to one another and she'd even go so far as to call him a good friend. After all, he could tell something was wrong with her simply by the expression on her face…

"Yeah, something up with a friend….they're acting kinda weird," Bella confessed.

"A friend from Arizona?" Edward inquired. His curiosity in her personal life reminded her immensely of Hannibal Lecter. She quickly shook the screwed up thought from her head.

"No," Bella stated. She didn't really want to talk about it. She constantly thought about Jacob and she just wanted to talk about something, anything else, to get her mind off of him and his well-being. "They're just going through a hard time, I guess." She hoped that this simple explanation would get curious Edward off her back.

He seemed to get the hint because he sat there quietly and Bella felt bad, so she decided to inquire about him: "So, how about you? How was your weekend?"

Edward smiled, flashing perfect white teeth that seemed to glow even within the classroom. It amazed Bella how perfect he was. He looked like a model, almost too perfect to be true and his personality was that of a gentleman. If she wasn't so sure of their friendship, she would question her sanity as to why she didn't like him. He had all the elements that she could ever want in a person. It was almost curious to her, to even think about it now.

"It was …complicated," Edward confessed. He didn't even know how to begin to describe the long weekend he had. Taking Alice to the airport after revealing to her that she had essentially broken the heart of her lesbian lover was not simple, at the least. On top of that, preparing his family for the prospect of moving to Volterra was also nerve wracking. He didn't know what was going to happen. All of these new circumstances that his family had to face, the new vampires and these new werewolves, it was all too much for him. He usually prided himself in being able to resolve conflicts but this was too large to resolve and it was very much out of his hands.

"Why was it complicated?"

Edward's train of thoughts was broken by Bella's innocent inquiry. Edward didn't know how to explain and anger started to build up within him. It was all so fucked up. "It just was." The words came out harsher than he meant it and Bella seemed to have taken it the wrong way, for she turned her head, flipped open her notebook and simply minded her own business after that. Edward was too flustered, now, with thoughts of how to fix his family's situation, how to fix Alice's situation. It was all too much. With that, he immediately stood up and left the classroom.

Bella watched in utter amazement as her lab partner stood from the lab and walked out of the classroom, mere moments before the teacher walked in. What was the point of showing up at all if he was just going to ditch?

A sound came from Bella's backpack and she realized it was her phone receiving a text. She reached down to turn her phone on silent before she heard the teacher condone her for leaving her cell phone aloud during class hours. She quickly apologized and reached in deep to her backpack, glimpsing at her text quickly and was surprised to find that it was from Jacob: "meet me l8er." Surprised and excited, Bella responded with a quick: "K" while putting her phone on mute.

* * *

Bella ran in to her house, all the way to her room, from her truck. He was going to be here any minute and she wanted to make sure her room wasn't messy. Browsing around her room, she tossed all her dirty clothes in to the hamper in her closet and threw all the random stuff on her floor in to various drawers in her desk. When she was satisfied with how her room looked, Bella sat on her bed and waited for Jacob, periodically checking her phone to make sure he hadn't called or texted. Twenty minutes later, she heard his ringtone.

"I'm outside…"

It was all he said before he hung up. It was weird of him to do so because she was about to invite him up. Bella sighed and grabbed a jacket before racing down the stairs to the door. At the end of her drive way, Jacob stood there eyeing the horizon. She ran out the door and approached him, "Where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you for, like, a week!" Bella practically yelled at him. He should never leave her in the dark like that again and she was going to make sure he knew that.

"I've been…kinda…preoccupied," Jacob answered. Bella didn't like the tone that he used. It was a suggestive tone, as if the elaboration of the truth would be unbearable to say.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked. She wanted to know what was up with Jacob that he couldn't call her back, couldn't return her texts, and couldn't even pop online to say he was okay.

Jacob looked around, looked at everything else except Bella. It seemed as if he was having a hard time formulating the words to answer her question. Bella waited patiently as she watched him struggle to even look at her.

"Let's…take a walk…" Jacob finally said, eyes averted to the ground.

Fair enough, Bella thought to herself as they both began walking to the woods that resided right behind her house. She knew the trails like the back of her hand, having walked them so many times in her childhood as well as recently to clear her mind. There was no way that they could get lost, especially it being mid-after noon and the sun wasn't to set in another couple of hours. She began to lead him there.

When they walked through the start of the woods, Jacob began to slow down and found a tree stump to sit upon. Bella, herself, sat opposite him on a low tree branch. It was her usual sitting spot whenever she came to the woods to clear her mind and she was rather fond of it. "So what's up?" Bella initiated the conversation. Her curiosity on why he was acting so bizarre was driving her practically insane.

"I don't really know how to say this…" Jacob began as he scratched the back of his head.  
"It's just…" Bella waited several moments of silence, watching him fiddle around with his thumbs and the ends of his shirt. Between "um" and "well," he had averted his head to glance at every aspect of the scenery around him but had yet to look directly at her.

"Jacob, just spit it out," Bella said after the long moments of nothing-ness.

"It's just…" Jacob began to play with words, "well….something….happened."

Bella was getting frustrated and she held her arms out in a questionable manner to index how she was feeling. Her face must have gave off the "Well, what the fuck is it" look because Jacob began to speak again.

"Something happened one night but I can't remember what…" Jacob spoke slowly, trying to recall the fragmented memories he had of that one particular night, "all I know is I woke up and my clothes were all torn up and…" Jacob stopped to pull the collar of his shirt away from his neck, exposing two circular wounds on his shoulder.

"What the fuck?" Bella gasped out the reaction instinctively. She had never seen wound marks like that before and came closer to him to examine it. She reached out her hand as if to feel but Jacob pulled away before she could.

"Don't touch it, it really hurts…." Jacob said, pulling his shirt back over the wound to conceal it.

"How did you get that?" Bella asked, completely astonished at how gross it looked and also scared at what could possibly do that to a person. Was it an animal? A bug? What the fuck?

"I don't know…" Jacob answered and shrugged.

"You don't know?" Bella repeated, as if clarifying his statement.

"Yeah, I don't know…." Jacob confirmed.

"Well, what did the doctor say?" Bella asked. She was wholesomely curious about what the doctors would say about such a wound.

"I haven't gone to one yet…" Jacob confessed and Bella glared at him with such intense eyes that he averted them to the ground. He knew that she was going to scold him for not attending to his obvious medical needs.

"What do you mean you haven't gone?" Bella began, "Jacob! This looks serious! You could get an infection! And look at how large those wounds are! They could be infected already or you could be having an allergic reaction…"

Jacob cut her off with a hand before stating: "I have an appointment for tomorrow…"

Bella smirked at him and Jacob beamed: "See, I'm on top of it…mom…."

Bella playfully nudged him when he called her mom. She was really worried about him these past three days and thought something serious had happened to him. And something serious DID happen to him. Which reminded her, "Next time something crazy like this happens to you, you need to tell me right away and not wait until like a week later…"

Jacob looked apologetically up at her, "I'm really sorry, Bells, but I just got really preoccupied with trying to figure out what happened and I had to explain to my dad why I hadn't come home that night you dropped me off and when I couldn't…well, I was grounded."

"Wait…" Bella froze where she stood, "what do you mean you didn't come home? I dropped you off right in front of your house…"

Jacob shrugged, "that's the thing. I don't remember what happened. All I remember is waking up and my clothes were all messed up and my neck hurt like crazy."

Bella was beginning to question if Jacob was doing drugs. She tried to remember what health class had taught her on drugs that led to complete loss of short-term memory while under the effects of the drug: date rape drugs, crystal meth….

"Jacob…" Bella began, looking him up and down. He didn't look skinnier, nor did he seem to be in any way impaired as she looked at him.

Suddenly, a noise was heard behind her and they both turned around quickly. A figure stood at the entrance of the woods, about thirty feet from where they sat and Bella had to allow her eyes several seconds to adjust before she recognized her lab partner: Edward Cullen.

"Who is he?" Jacob asked Bella and Bella replied, rather confused with what he was doing to the entrance of the woods, so close to the backyard of her house, "that's my lab partner from Biology…"

"What's he doing here?" Jacob asked, rather defensively. Bella wanted to know the answer herself, "I'm not sure. He's never been to my house…"

Both Bella and Jacob watched as Edward slowly approached them and when he was ten feet away, he called up at them, "Good afternoon."

Utterly confused as to what her lab partner was doing interrupting her intimate conversation with Jacob, whom she hadn't seen in three days, and even more confused at the fact that he had entered the woods through her backyard, she couldn't help but rudely ask: "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see what I missed in Biology class today…" Edward stated, slowly circling to the nearest tall tree, farthest from Jacob.

Bella glared at him in utter confusion and was starting to seriously debate whether he was stalking her. How did he know where she lived? Why would he come over to her house to ask about Biology lab work? He had never done it before in his absence, why start now? And how did he know to check the woods, if she weren't inside the house. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that Edward Cullen was deliberately stalking her and he seemed very good at it because there he was, amidst her and Jacob in the middle of the woods in the backyard of her home.

"How…" it was all Bella could formulate when she began to hear grunts from Jacob behind her.

She turned around to see his body convulsing, his eyes rapidly fluttering to the back of his head, and he was making the most bizarre noises she had ever heard a human make.  
It was as if his body was possessed by some evil spirits, like out of a horror film.

"Jacob…" Bella whispered, it was all she could do to keep herself from screaming.

Bella felt a hard hand on her shoulder pulling her back and realized it was Edward. His grip was firm and she couldn't shrug it off, despite her efforts. "Get back," Edward said, pulling her to the far tree where had had been standing and he positioned his body in front of her.

"What are you doing? He needs HELP!!" Bella was screaming. He was obviously having some sort of reaction to his wounds and she needed to call 911. Fuck, her phone was in her house. She needed to get back to her house.

Suddenly, several crunch noise distracted Bella's thoughts about the hospital and ambulances. She turned to Jacob and watched as his feet, legs, arms, hands, and the large of his back began to expand. He was hunched over, his face away from sight, and his skin color began to rapidly change from tan to very dark brown. The sounds of bones crunching continued to be heard as Bella watched in horror as her dear friend began to morph in to something that was as unhuman as can possibly be. His figure was slowly morphing and Bella began to scream. Edward pushed her back with such strength that it knocked the wind out of her when she hit the tree. The last thing she saw before she fell in to unconsciousness was deep blue eyes in a transfiguring Jacob's face that looked down at her in complete horror.


	17. Chapter 17: Cairo

**Chapter 17: ****CAIRO  
**  
The pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure towered over the large city of Cairo and sitting gracefully on the top of the grandfather of the three, the great pyramid of Khufu, Jane cocked her head back and allowed for the sun to envelop all of her worries and confusion. There was no place in the world she would rather be than sitting on top of the seventh wonder, and only remaining wonder, of the Ancient World. She smiled as she watched boats float down the beautiful Nile River. Fishermen seemed to be casting out nets for their daily catch which she knew would be later sold in the Cairo marketplace. Jane turned her head down to a pack of tourists, most on camel backs, approaching the sphinx. This was the fourth tour she had witnessed observe the Sphinx before approaching Khafre's pyramid. They were allowed in to one of the entrance chambers but were not allowed to venture past the third room. Jane, herself, had been past the point where tourists are not allowed. The hieroglyphics always fascinated her and she wanted to study the Old Kingdom hieroglyphics and compare them to the Middle and New Kingdom hieroglyphics. That reminded her, Jane made a mental note to visit Queen Hatchepsut's mortuary temple right after she visited Karnak. The history behind Hatchepsut, the single successful female Pharaoh, was such an interesting one. She had been succeeded by Thutmose III who attempted to erase her name from historical records. Not because he was jealous, as Archaeologists originally thought, but because he had descended from a different bloodline and in order to preserve that bloodline, he needed to erase traces of Hatshepsut's bloodline. It was bizarre, Jane thought, that he should go through extraordinary lengths to chisel her name out from the hieroglyphs.

Suddenly, Jane's thoughts were interrupted by the presence of…..Alice. She was right behind her. Her vampire speed had allowed Alice to ascend to the top of the pyramid in less than one second.

"Jane…"

Jane didn't turn around. Her eyes fluttered to look up at the sky, secretly asking the heavens why she couldn't simply be left alone to herself. That's all she wanted, deep down, was to be left alone. Left alone from the Volturi, left alone from Alice, left alone from her existence. The experiences from the chamber, with Viktor and Selene, with all these new vampires, with this new war, it had left Jane completely exasperated. She didn't want to fight in a war; she didn't want to be a professional assassin, hunting new breeds of werewolves. She didn't want to be a tool for the Volturi anymore. She didn't want to be a toy for Alice to play with. She was fed up. She was done.

"Jane!" Alice said her name again, louder, coming closer to her.

"Stay away from me," Jane said, coolly, remaining seated and glaring out in to the horizon while continuing to watch the Egyptians working within the Nile. One of the riverboats seemed to have caught a large net full of fish. The prosperity made her smile.

"Jane, don't do this," Alice begged. She took a seat, several feet away from Jane and watched the back of her head, unwavering and unfaltering. "Please, listen to me. I have to explain something."

Jane was in utter bliss, despite the fact that she had Alice nagging on her neck about shit that she no longer cared about. Jane knew exactly what she wanted to do. She was going to retire here and live amongst the population, observing them in a sort of Anthropological way. Her Arabic wasn't too bad; she had picked up on basic conversation from the last several times she had been here. Learning would come easily for her. Yes, she would live here in Egypt. Why not? She loved the culture enough and only her brother knows where she stays, the secret property she owns in Cairo.

It was decided. Jane decided in that moment that she wasn't going to return back to Volterra to live amongst the Volturi and embark on trivial missions to exterminate a community of werewolves that she could care less about. No, she wasn't going to partake in any of that foolishness. Now, the only thing she had left was to get rid of Alice.

Jane stood up and faced Alice, but was taken aback. She had forgotten how utterly stunning she was. Her heart began to flutter but as hard as Jane tried to suppress the feeling, she couldn't ignore it. It had left her speechless.

"I wasn't myself…" Alice began, "Please, believe me! I can't have human blood…it transforms me, it makes me act differently. It has a sort of effect on me. It's like a drug, it makes me delusional…"

Jane began to laugh. Why was Alice lying? What was the point of her making excuses for how she acted? Jane knew that no one should apologize for how they acted because within that moment, they obviously intended to act like so. Alice clearly wanted to side with the day vampires, so be it. Who was Jane to stop her? "You're silly…" Jane said between laughs. Alice had become quite delirious.

"Jane! I'm being serious!" Alice began, frustrated that Jane was not taking this at all seriously, "that's why I live with the Cullens! I can't DRINK human blood! You saw how I acted when I was fed human blood! You saw how different I was!! Please, believe me!"

Jane ceased to laugh and actually considered what Alice was saying. Well, it didn't matter anymore. She just wanted to be left alone. She wanted to leave it all behind her.

"Look, Alice," Jane began, glaring down at the beautiful woman before her, "I'm just over it all."

Jane watched the confusion wash over Alice's face. Clearly she didn't understand what she was hinting at. "I just want to be left alone from it all—from that war, from the Volturi, from everything," Jane clarified.

Tears began falling down Alice's face. She was beginning to comprehend what Jane was saying and it was hurting her. "You….want me to leave you alone…" Alice struggled to say it aloud. It hurt too much.

Jane smiled, the words felt like music to her ears. "Yes," she said as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, feeling the warm Egyptian breeze flutter her Angel hairs. This felt like complete bliss.

"That's not fair," Alice forced out, trying to fight off the tears that were falling down her face. She wiped them, feeling completely pathetic, "it wasn't my fault, how I acted, and you're punishing me for things that were out of my control!!!"

Jane opened her eyes at hearing the word "punish" and looked down at Alice, who held her head between her hands, her elbows resting on her lap. It was a sad sight and Jane once again felt a deep sensation envelope within her but ignored it, "Alice, I am not punishing you…"

Alice looked up at Jane, her eyes were puffy from crying. "I am doing what's best for me," Jane said, with a smile as sincere as she could form. "Perhaps it's best for the both of us if we simply go our separate ways…."

Alice began to sob uncontrollably in to her palms again, her face hidden away from Jane's sight. She hated to see her react like this but she wanted to be truthful, that is how she felt and she couldn't help it. Lying would be useless. Jane knelt down and placed her hands on Alice's head, feeling the tiny brown hairs encompass around her palms. She felt her sobbing and coming to contact with Alice, Jane smelt her aura, it caused her eyes to flutter a bit. Touching her was intoxicating. She began to wondering what the fuck she was saying about being alone. The greater part of her mind reminded Jane that to be truly happy, to be an enlightened being, to find peace, she needed to do this.

"I'm sorry…" Jane whispered. With that, she kissed the top of Alice's head and stood up, swiftly. "I did love you, Alice. I'm sorry to do this."

With all speed she could muster, she descended down the pyramid and ran as fast as her tiny legs could carry her through the hot Egyptian desert. Jane could a single echo behind her. Alice had screamed her name with such fertility that it broke Jane's heart in two.


	18. Chapter 18: Transitions

**Chapter 18:** **Transitions  
**

Alice walked through the large mahogany doors, dragged her duffel bag across the floor of the entrance hallway and collapsed on the nearest couch, staring up at the glass ceiling, able to see the branches of a nearby tree and focusing on a single bird that was crawling up and down a thin branch. She sighed to herself; it was all she could do to keep from crying. Cairo was a mistake. No, that wasn't a mistake. Going to Volterra to look for Jane was a mistake. No, no, the mistake didn't start there, she thought lazily to herself. It started with going to Volterra to escape Jasper, in the very beginning. That was a mistake. The whole Jane situation was a mistake.

"Hey..."

It was Rosalie. Alice let out a deep breathe that she had held in. She knew she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone but she didn't have the heart to shun her away. It was all just a fucked up situation but there was nothing that Alice could do about it, anymore. It was over. It was done. She let out a great sigh.

"Hey, Rosalie," Alice said as she sat up on the couch and patted the seat, motioning for Rosalie to sit aside her.

"Are you okay?" Rosalie asked, her worried look was almost unbearable for Alice to look at. She really needed to tell her. It wasn't right to keep her in the dark like that.

"No, I'm not…"Alice began, toying with her hands and she felt Rosalie's hand fall on her shoulder. It was a soothing touch and it prompted Alice to continue on, "I've… I….."

Tears began to stream down Alice's face as she struggled to find the words, " My….my heart hurts…." Alice said as she pounded on her chest, she was sobbing now. Her heart was hurting, it was the truth. It was shattered in to a million pieces and she heaved in breathes. She felt Rosalie wrap her arm around her back, rubbing gently and soothingly.

"It's okay Alice! Whatever it is, it will be okay."

The statement had more meaning for Alice than Rosalie could have realized. She was completely right; it was going to be okay. Everything was going to be alright, in the end. But the journey to becoming alright was going to be rough, Alice knew this. She looked up to Rosalie, took a deep breathe in, exhaled, and let it out: "I…sort of…well… okay. I'm a lesbian and I had a relationship with Jane."

The gasp that came out of Rosalie's mouth was one that could be mirrored by any woman who loved gossip more than anything else in the world and the utterance that came after that proved that to be true, "Shut the fuck up!.....was it good?"

Alice half laughed. She knew that Rosalie was referring to sex. "Well…we didn't really …do anything. I guess it wasn't a relationship really….I suppose we were dating…"  
Thinking about it now made Alice feel even more stupid, especially recalling the reaction that she had displayed in Cairo. She felt like a total and complete idiot. Rosalie rubbed the smalls of her back.

"It's okay, Alice. You can tell me. You're my sister! I love you, and support you, however you are."

Alice looked up at Rosalie, whose smile was completely sincere and she reached out to hug her, holding her tightly.

"I….have….hurt feelings....." Alice cried in to Rosalie's shoulders.

Rosalie grasped her tightly, rubbing her back at hearing the statement, "It's okay, hun, let it out…"

And Alice did. She let it all out.  
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Edward stumbled in through the back door of the house. His clothes were completely torn apart and he had to hold torn pieces around his waist to ensure that no one saw his private parts. He was heaving up the stairs and then he heard Alice's and Rosalie's thoughts. He looked from the top of the stairs down in to the living room and saw them embracing each other. He knew from Alice's thoughts that she had finally told Rosalie about her sexuality and relationship with Jane. He smiled at her courage but didn't have long enough leisure time to really pride himself for down the hall, Esme exited her room and gasped at the state that Edward was in.

"Edward!" _Why is he half Naked?!_

She heard his thoughts but he quickly dashed to his room. His vampire speed ensured he was there quickly and within a matter of seconds, he was back in the hall fully dressed and ready for explaining. Esme still stood there, half shocked, and he simply stated: "We need a family meeting, right now."

Within minutes, all of the Cullens, minus Carlisle who was still in Volterra, were sitting in the dining room table. Esme brought Edward a glass of deer blood and handing it to him, she uttered, "It's fresh. We caught it this morning."

He thanked her and began drinking it's contents before looking around at the eager faces of his family. He took a deep breathe and began to tell them the events of what happened with Jacob Black. He left out the details of why he was there, to protect Bella against a potential werewolf but he was more than a mere werewolf. He had transformed in to a Beast unlike anything that they had ever encountered in their immortal existence.

"He must be a Lycan…" Edward concluded.

The Cullens looked around at each other with quizzical looks. How was it possible that Jacob would all of a sudden become a Lycan? It didn't make any sense. He was part of the Quilette tribe, destined to become a large wolf and not a beastly being.

"What does it….what does it all mean?" Esme asked, speaking up for all the confused Cullens.

"I don't know…" Edward answered. He didn't know. He didn't know what it meant that these werewolves that they had known and encountered in their long years had suddenly transitioned in to large beastly beings, resembling the descriptions of the Lycans that they had heard from Carlisle and Aro. These Lycans were what Viktor and his night vampires were at war with. They continually hunted these beasts down and now that they knew about the existence of vampires who could survive within the sun, Viktor wanted our assistance to hunt them in the sun. But they were in Europe. These beasts, Viktor claimed, resided within Europe. Why were they appearing, now of all times, here? And amongst the Quilette werewolves?

"It means the war is coming here…." Alice piped up. She had been quiet the whole time, not showing any surprise at the news that Edward had just given. "We have to tell Carlisle."

Esme nodded and stood up to go grab the house telephone. Edward couldn't believe it. They had lived in relative peace for years! Since he had turned in to a Vampire, he had never known War. Sure, vampires had occasional differences that may lead to physical fights, but not a war like what Viktor had described. Nothing on that scale. The realization of what was soon to pass began to flood Edward and a thought occurred to him.

"Alice…" Edward looked at his sister in the corner, "have you received any visions? Anything about all of this?..."

Alice shook her head no. That's right, Edward reminded himself, she was emotionally distraught over Jane. Great time too, cause visions of the future would be real helpful right now.

Esme brought the phone, dialed a set of numbers and place it on speaker phone. Within moments, Carlisle picked up and Edward explained the whole story to him as he had told the Cullens moments ago. Carlisle paused at hearing the grave news and it took several moments before he finally uttered something…"Very well, I will be there shortly."

The Cullens sat on the dining room table. They had to wait; they had to be patient, because it was out of their hands now.  
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Kahn maneuvered the jet over a set of Mountains. They would arrive soon and Selene could not wait to get off and begin hunting for these Lycans. These day vampires had caught sight of one within their home town. The beasts were breeding outside of Europe, the thought made her sick to her stomach. What was worst is that these worthless day vampires had not done anything about it. Instead of hunting him, they merely called Viktor. They were pathetic and worthless. Selene recalled what Viktor had said moments before her departure:

_"You are to train them…"_

_Selene looked at Viktor in complete horror. He couldn't be serious. "Train them? I'm a death eater, not a school teacher."_

_Viktor glared at her disobedience, "You will be loyal and do as I ask." He said the words slowly and Selene nodded in agreement that she would, be she wouldn't enjoy the job._

_"And how do you want me to do this, my Lord?"_

_Viktor cocked his head up and glared at all the technological machinery they kept within the chamber. Selene got the hint._

Selene sighed to herself and moved up to the cockpit, sitting aside Kahn while he maneuvered the Jet. "We are to train them upon our arrival."

Kahn laughed, "Viktor said _you_ are to train them." He looked up at Selene who gave him a vile glare; clearly she didn't think it was as funny.

"There's just too much…" Selene began, looking out at the view, "too much and too little time."

Kahn smiled. He knew exactly what she meant. There was just simply too much to teach them. Too much history about the War, too much protocol regarding how to use the machinery, too much second nature information that to teach them would be close to impossible. Especially in such a short amount of time. After all, they needed to begin hunting the beast before it bite more humans, thus repopulating the species within the area. Kahn began to descend the jet down. "We're here…"

Selene looked down and saw a large clearing and pointed to it, "There's a good spot."

Kahn nodded and within ten minutes, the jet was safely landed in to a large clearing that appeared to be several miles away from the Cullens' house. Not that that was much of a problem, they could get there in bullet speed. As the cargo door opened, the dark night sky gleamed with a thousand stars. The view was beautiful but Selene had no time to enjoy it. She walked out in to the field and froze in her place. She turned her head quickly in all directions. A scent that she had not smelt in so long, for centuries, suddenly overwhelmed her.

She looked back at Kahn and Rigel, who by the expressions on their face seemed to have smelt it too.

"Lucian's here…."


End file.
